Fair advertises Afghan pomegranates

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Afghan farmers brought their harvest to the first international pomegranate fair, held in a showground outside Kabul.

Officials in the country and international aid groups hope the recent popularity and rising price of pomegranate juice will encourage farmers to give up growing opium poppies, The Telegraph reported.

Some botanists believe the pomegranate was first cultivated in Afghanistan, because farmers there grow more varieties than elsewhere. The fruit has recently been touted for its health benefits, which reportedly include protection against heart disease and cancer.

The fair was organized by USAID.

"These are the best pomegranates you'll ever see in your life, they are the biggest, they are the reddest and they taste great," said Loren Stoddard, an official with the agency. "It's probably the one product in Afghanistan that is the best in the world -- we don't need to do anything to them. We want one product that could be the symbol of the new Afghanistan that will lead onto other products."

Pomegranate farmers have suffered during three decades of violence. Most of the harvest is now sold in India and Pakistan, with 50,000 tons exported last year.