Province 17 of 34 | Southeast

Khost خوست

A dense, remittance-supported province on the Pakistan border. Produce and pine nut aggregation away from Khost city benefits the upland districts.

Capital: Khost
Region: Southeast
Area: 4,110 km²
Population 2025–26: 694,197
Density: 169 per km²
Districts: 13

Map of candidate marketplace sites and their road catchments in Khost — Orange pin: candidate site. Olive shading: 60-minute catchment (dotted line: 30 minutes). Square: provincial center. Circle: existing market. Brown shading: population density.

US$ 4.2 million

base-case annual turnover (range US$ 2.1 million to US$ 6.3 million)

20,020

producer households benefit commercially (74,156 get market access within 60 min)

99,374

underserved rural people get market access within 60 min

153

direct jobs, base case (+245 indirect jobs)

Potential marketplace network Estimated

1Shamal District center

District: Shamal

Aggregation hub linking to wholesale buyers

To nearest existing market: 29 km, 48 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 46,032

33.3151, 69.5317
2Musa Khel District center

District: Mosa Khail

Producer marketplace and aggregation center

To nearest existing market: 26 km, 62 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 14,518

33.5868, 69.6900
3Jaji Maydan District center

District: Jaji Maidan

Aggregation hub linking to wholesale buyers

To nearest existing market: 31 km, 65 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 15,077

33.6289, 70.0864

#	Site	District	Likely role	Lat, Lon	To nearest existing market	Producer HH within 60 min
1	Shamal District center	Shamal	Aggregation hub linking to wholesale buyers	33.3151, 69.5317	29 km 48 min	46,032
2	Musa Khel District center	Mosa Khail	Producer marketplace and aggregation center	33.5868, 69.6900	26 km 62 min	14,518
3	Jaji Maydan District center	Jaji Maidan	Aggregation hub linking to wholesale buyers	33.6289, 70.0864	31 km 65 min	15,077

Local products and producer groups Strong secondary

Wheat & maize
Rice
Vegetables
Pine nut
Cattle, goats & poultry

Farming system: Mixed farming (US$ 750 sales per participating household)

Producer groups: smallholder farmers, livestock and dairy keepers, household enterprises, small processors and traders

Crafts: Woodwork, embroidery

Market catchment and accessibility Estimated

Site	HH within 30 min	HH 30–60 min	HH 60–90 min	Producer HH within 60 min	Commercially addressable	Underserved
1 Shamal	7,049	46,399	59,832	46,032	7,898	4%
2 Musa Khel	5,669	10,200	60,187	14,518	7,657	54%
3 Jaji Maydan	3,066	13,188	53,583	15,077	4,598	14%

HH = households of 7.7 people (ALCS 2016–17). The primary indicator is producer households within 60 minutes by road. Underserved % is the share of rural people within 60 minutes of the candidate site who are currently more than 60 minutes from an existing market. Commercially addressable households refer to producer HH.

Infrastructure requirements

Road accessEstimated
Current situation: 2 of 3 sites on a main road; others on rural roads or tracks
All-weather access road, hard-standing and turning area for trucks
ElectricityStrong secondary
Current situation: Grid reaches about 40% of Afghans nationally; rural sites mostly off-grid
Solar plus battery for lighting, weighing, phone charging and cold rooms; grid tie where a line passes
Solar potentialStrong secondary
Current situation: About 300 sunny days a year; high irradiance nationwide
Rooftop PV on market sheds (indicative 20 to 60 kWp per site)
Internet & mobileAssumption
Current situation: Mobile connections equal 52% of the population; district centers usually covered
Mobile money and price-information kiosk; verify signal on site
Dry storageEstimated
Current situation: Few formal stores outside provincial centers
Warehouse for wheat & maize, rice with pallets and pest control
Cold storageEstimated
Current situation: Rare outside major cities
Solar cold room or evaporative store for fruit, vegetables and dairy
Water, sanitation & loadingAssumption
Current situation: Not assessed at site level
Borehole, washing area, separate latrines for women and men; loading bays, livestock pens, certified scales

Infrastructure	Current situation	Requirement	Evidence status
Road access	2 of 3 sites on a main road; others on rural roads or tracks	All-weather access road, hard-standing and turning area for trucks	Estimated
Electricity	Grid reaches about 40% of Afghans nationally; rural sites mostly off-grid	Solar plus battery for lighting, weighing, phone charging and cold rooms; grid tie where a line passes	Strong secondary
Solar potential	About 300 sunny days a year; high irradiance nationwide	Rooftop PV on market sheds (indicative 20 to 60 kWp per site)	Strong secondary
Internet & mobile	Mobile connections equal 52% of the population; district centers usually covered	Mobile money and price-information kiosk; verify signal on site	Assumption
Dry storage	Few formal stores outside provincial centers	Warehouse for wheat & maize, rice with pallets and pest control	Estimated
Cold storage	Rare outside major cities	Solar cold room or evaporative store for fruit, vegetables and dairy	Estimated
Water, sanitation & loading	Not assessed at site level	Borehole, washing area, separate latrines for women and men; loading bays, livestock pens, certified scales	Assumption

Economic opportunity and employment Estimated Assumption

Scenario	Participation	Producer sales	Other trading	Total turnover	Direct jobs	Indirect jobs
Low	10%	US$ 1.5 million	US$ 590,000	US$ 2.1 million	106	170
Base	20%	US$ 3 million	US$ 1.2 million	US$ 4.2 million	153	245
High	30%	US$ 4.5 million	US$ 1.8 million	US$ 6.3 million	199	318

Site columns are summed. The total is de-duplicated where catchments overlap.

Evidence

Population: strong secondary province totals, estimated catchments. Travel time: estimated from the OpenStreetMap road model. Products: strong secondary. Turnover and jobs: assumption parameters applied to estimated households. Site conditions: unknown until field validation.

Open these pages in the PDF (41–42) | Method, assumptions and sources