Province 34 of 34 | South

Zabul زابل

Zabul runs along the Kabul to Kandahar highway with dried fruit and almond exports. Shahjoy and the eastern districts are under-served rural catchments.

Capital: Qalat
Region: South
Area: 17,019 km²
Population 2025–26: 419,352
Density: 25 per km²
Districts: 11

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

US$ 5.6 million

base-case annual turnover (range US$ 2.8 million to US$ 8.4 million)

19,261

producer households benefit commercially (29,399 get market access within 60 min)

210,690

underserved rural people get market access within 60 min

185

direct jobs, base case (+296 indirect jobs)

Potential marketplace network Estimated

1Shah Joi Market town

District: Shahjoy

Producer marketplace and aggregation center

To nearest existing market: 43 km, 58 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 21,465

32.5215, 67.4132
2Daychopan District center

District: Daychopan

Producer marketplace and aggregation center

To nearest existing market: 52 km, 171 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 4,108

32.6119, 66.7029
3Arghandab District center

District: Arghandab

Producer marketplace and aggregation center

To nearest existing market: 33 km, 138 min

Producer HH within 60 min: 3,852

32.5064, 66.9634

#	Site	District	Likely role	Lat, Lon	To nearest existing market	Producer HH within 60 min
1	Shah Joi Market town	Shahjoy	Producer marketplace and aggregation center	32.5215, 67.4132	43 km 58 min	21,465
2	Daychopan District center	Daychopan	Producer marketplace and aggregation center	32.6119, 66.7029	52 km 171 min	4,108
3	Arghandab District center	Arghandab	Producer marketplace and aggregation center	32.5064, 66.9634	33 km 138 min	3,852

Local products and producer groups Strong secondary

Almond
Grape & raisin
Cumin
Wheat
Sheep & goats

Farming system: High-value tree crops (US$ 1,150 sales per participating household)

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

Crafts: 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 Shah Joi	9,567	14,486	15,588	21,465	13,673	75%
2 Daychopan	1,677	3,215	4,088	4,108	3,045	100%
3 Arghandab	669	3,761	2,090	3,852	2,559	100%

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 almond, grape & raisin with pallets and pest control
Cold storageEstimated
Current situation: Rare outside major cities
Not a first-phase priority; drying yards and ventilated stores instead
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 almond, grape & raisin with pallets and pest control	Estimated
Cold storage	Rare outside major cities	Not a first-phase priority; drying yards and ventilated stores instead	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$ 2.2 million	US$ 589,000	US$ 2.8 million	122	195
Base	20%	US$ 4.4 million	US$ 1.2 million	US$ 5.6 million	185	296
High	30%	US$ 6.7 million	US$ 1.8 million	US$ 8.4 million	247	395

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 (75–76) | Method, assumptions and sources