Story by Master Gunnery Sgt. Phil Mehringer
MARJEH, Afghanistan -- Construction of a new produce packing plant, the Marjeh Fruit and Vegetable Packing Facility, complete with a solar-powered cold storage facility, was recently finished, inspected and is now ready for business.
The Marjeh plant could change the supply-and-demand economic model for area farmers.
Marjeh lies just east of the Helmand River which provides the necessary water, through an intricate network of canals, to grow a variety of crops year-round. But local farmers struggle to deliver their produce to distant markets.
Maj. Erich Bergiel, project supervisor and member of the Regional Command Southwest Economic Development section, related the problem of getting produce to market in an Afghan parable: “Put fresh pomegranate in the back of your truck and on the way to market it turns into pomegranate jelly.”
The Marjeh plant could change the supply-and-demand economic model for area farmers.
Marjeh lies just east of the Helmand River which provides the necessary water, through an intricate network of canals, to grow a variety of crops year-round. But local farmers struggle to deliver their produce to distant markets.
Maj. Erich Bergiel, project supervisor and member of the Regional Command Southwest Economic Development section, related the problem of getting produce to market in an Afghan parable: “Put fresh pomegranate in the back of your truck and on the way to market it turns into pomegranate jelly.”
... Bergiel, a Reserve Marine from Carrolton, Ga., who teaches management at the University of West Georgia, said the Marjeh packing plant is the first of its kind in Helmand province.
