BBC News Online: World: South Asia

Tax relief for Afghan drought farmers

The authorities in Afghanistan have announced that farmers in the drought-stricken western province of Ghor will not have to pay tax on agricultural products.

The measure, intended to relieve pressure from the drought, was announced earlier this year but not implemented in some parts of the country including Ghor province.

The ministry also said that the United Nations, helped by the British charity Oxfam, was getting ready to distribute wheat to needy people in the province -- one of the areas worst affected by drought. Large numbers of people who have not harvested enough wheat for the winter have been leaving their villages for the cities.

Aid agencies say they hope the wheat distribution will encourage people to stay at home.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service