A standard cold-storage facility costing $1.5 million has opened in Guzara district of Herat province, with a reported storage capacity of about 3,000 tonnes. The facility was built on roughly 4,000 square metres and is intended to preserve fruit, meat and other perishable products.
Managers say construction was completed in six months and the capacity can be expanded if needed. Monthly storage charges for fresh fruit are reported to range from two to ten afghanis per kilogram, depending on the product and storage period.
Herat is one of Afghanistan's major agricultural and horticultural provinces. Farmers and traders have long cited limited cold-chain capacity as a cause of post-harvest losses and weak prices during peak production periods. Local business representatives say additional storage investment will still be needed across the province.