Afghanistan’s wheat harvest rises to 5.15 mln tons, but domestic demand remains higher
Afghanistan harvested over 5.15 million tonnes of wheat in 2026, up 13.4% year-on-year, driven by expanded cultivation and improved yields. Wheat covered 1.97 million hectares, averaging 2.61 tonnes per hectare. However, production meets only 73% of domestic requirements, leaving a 1.94-million-tonne supply gap.
Afghanistan harvested more than 5.15 mln tons of wheat in 2026, up 13.4% from the previous year. This was reported by the country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, citing data from the Directorate of Agricultural Statistics and Information Management. Despite the significant increase in production, Afghanistan’s domestic requirements remain considerably higher than its own harvest, leaving the country dependent on grain imports.
For comparison, Afghanistan’s wheat production totaled 4.54 mln tons in 2025. This year’s harvest therefore increased by approximately 610 thsd tons. The positive trend reflects both an expansion in planted area and an improvement in average crop yields. Production growth significantly outpaced the increase in the area planted to wheat.
In 2026, wheat was cultivated on 1.97 mln ha in Afghanistan, up 4.1% from the previous year. In 2025, the crop covered 1.89 mln ha. Based on the reported production and planted area figures, average wheat yields reached approximately 2.61 t/ha this year, compared with 2.40 t/ha a year earlier. This indicates an improvement in wheat productivity.
A significant share of Afghanistan’s wheat cultivation is concentrated on irrigated land. Of the total planted area, approximately 1.34 mln ha is irrigated, while another 625 thsd ha consists of rain-fed land, where crop yields depend on natural rainfall. Irrigated land therefore accounts for around 68% of the country’s total wheat area, highlighting the importance of irrigation infrastructure for domestic grain production.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s domestic wheat requirements in 2026 are estimated at 7.09 mln tons, exceeding the harvested volume by 1.94 mln tons. Domestic production therefore covers approximately 73% of the country’s needs, while the remainder must be met from other sources, primarily imports. Despite the larger harvest, Afghanistan remains dependent on foreign wheat suppliers, as domestic production is still insufficient to fully meet demand.
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Source : Ukr Agro Consult
