Afghan Grapes

Grapes are an attractive horticultural crop in Afghanistan owing to their high productiveness and commercial value, which is in turn due to the large and wide-spread area of production in the country. The cultivation of this fruit is concentrated in the provinces of Kandahar, Kapisa, Herat, Ghazni, Kabul, and Parwan. Afghan grapes are grown for both fresh consumption and production of raisins.

Among the grapevine varieties cultivated for fresh grapes are hussaini, taifi, kasendra, lal, kata, gholafan, red kandahari, and red and green raucha, while the most common varieties grown for raisin production include shondakhanai, keshmeshi, black keshmeshi, lal, and mehr amaldi.

Most of the grape varieties grown in this country belong to the Vitis vinifera or the common grape vine species, and they are typically harvested from July through October. Afghan grapes and raisins are sold to local and neighboring markets, but they are also exported to overseas countries.