Province 20 of 34 | East

Laghman لغمان

Laghman's citrus and rice valleys feed Jalalabad and Kabul. Collection and cool storage closer to Alishang and Alingar improve prices for perishable fruit.

Capital: Mehtarlam
Region: East
Area: 3,900 km²
Population 2025–26: 538,040
Density: 138 per km²
Districts: 5

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

US$ 7.7 million

base-case annual turnover (range US$ 3.9 million to US$ 11.6 million)

31,150

producer households benefit commercially (124,772 get market access within 60 min)

105,765

underserved rural people get market access within 60 min

232

direct jobs, base case (+371 indirect jobs)

Potential marketplace network Estimated

1Lalkhanabad Market town

District: Qarghayi

Aggregation hub linking to wholesale buyers

To nearest existing market: 23 km, 32 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 112,514

34.5470, 70.2444
2Dowlat Shah Market town

District: Daulatshahi

Aggregation hub linking to wholesale buyers

To nearest existing market: 23 km, 71 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 13,763

34.9504, 70.0710
3Alingar District center

District: Alingar

Producer marketplace and aggregation center

To nearest existing market: 24 km, 119 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 4,660

34.8231, 70.4126

#	Site	District	Likely role	Lat, Lon	To nearest existing market	Producer HH within 60 min
1	Lalkhanabad Market town	Qarghayi	Aggregation hub linking to wholesale buyers	34.5470, 70.2444	23 km 32 min	112,514
2	Dowlat Shah Market town	Daulatshahi	Aggregation hub linking to wholesale buyers	34.9504, 70.0710	23 km 71 min	13,763
3	Alingar District center	Alingar	Producer marketplace and aggregation center	34.8231, 70.4126	24 km 119 min	4,660

Local products and producer groups Strong secondary

Citrus (orange)
Rice
Maize & wheat
Vegetables
Honey

Farming system: Irrigated horticulture (US$ 950 sales per participating household)

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

Crafts: Mats, woodwork

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 Lalkhanabad	46,013	115,518	121,095	112,514	22,025	2%
2 Dowlat Shah	7,404	7,589	24,250	13,763	7,954	47%
3 Alingar	45	5,036	16,185	4,660	2,779	98%

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: 1 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 citrus (orange), 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	1 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 citrus (orange), 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$ 3.1 million	US$ 963,000	US$ 3.9 million	146	234
Base	20%	US$ 6.2 million	US$ 1.9 million	US$ 7.7 million	232	371
High	30%	US$ 9.3 million	US$ 2.9 million	US$ 11.6 million	318	509

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 (47–48) | Method, assumptions and sources