KABUL, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities launched the cultivation of oilseed crops in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province as a pilot project to grow oil-producing seeds such as sunflowers, reported the local media outlet Tolonews on Monday.

Covering 550 acres of land, the first-ever project as a sign of the government's support to the farmers would also boost domestic edible oil production, the report said, citing officials.

Afghan farmers who were largely dependent on poppy cultivation and other illegal crops in the past are currently asking the Afghan interim government to provide alternative crops and find markets for their products.

"Since the interim government has banned poppy cultivation and other illegal crops we used to grow and since we have shifted to alternative crops, we ask the government to help us with both improved seeds and finding a market for our products," the media outlet cited a farmer, Mohammad Dawood, as saying.

The project would be expanded and the oilseeds would be distributed to farmers in other provinces if the yields meet the desired result, officials said.