Asif Rahimi, Afghan Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation

Asif Rahimi, Afghan Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, speaks to members from various Afghan government ministries and departments during a consultation workshop to review proposed amendments to the national law governing land management at the Afghanistan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Oct. 25. In Afghanistan an estimated 89 percent of the land is owned by the government. As most of this land is rural, agricultural land, Afghanistan’s MAIL is responsible for determining what land belongs to the government, how to lease that land to the private sector and what land belongs to individuals. “The objective of identifying the land is not to obtain income from it, but how to obtain employment and better the economy for the Afghan people. How much employment will the lease create? In light of these issues, I urge all the participants to review the law,” said Rahimi.