Afghanistan Development and Economy Thread

[Agha Sher]

@TR_123456, could you please make this a sticky thread in the Afghanistan section?

Afghanistan's exports is going from strength to strength despite the sanction and total financial isolation. Although the base is still rather modest, the effects of rule of law, eliminated corruption and security are clearly felt.

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Afghan Carpet Exports Surge by 30%, Ministry Reports​

Notably, some carpet exporters spoke about a notable surge in direct exports of Afghan carpets to European and American nations.


The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has revealed that the export of Afghan carpets has seen an upswing of 30% over the past four months when compared to the same period last year.
According to ministry data spanning from the solar months of Hamal to Saratan (March 21 to July 22), Afghan carpets worth more than $7 million have been exported to various countries, including Turkey, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, and Uzbekistan.
"During the initial three months of the first quarter of [solar year] 1402, carpet exports reached $4,470,000," stated Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Notably, some carpet exporters spoke about a notable surge in direct exports of Afghan carpets to European and American nations.
In the past year, our sales have increased, and a significant number of our customers are from abroad. We are now also facilitating our own transfers," revealed Mohammad Sabir, a carpet vendor.
Sayed Mohammad, another carpet vendor, emphasized the quality of Afghan carpets, expressing hope for support from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to further boost production and sales in this sector.
“Our carpet is the best in the world. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan should help us and our investors to have production and sales in this field,” Mohammad said.
The Union of Carpet Producers and Exporters emphasized the positive impact of international exhibitions on promoting the Afghan handwoven carpet industry. Hosting such exhibitions has proved pivotal in driving exports upward.
"We recently witnessed a triumphant exhibition in the city of Astana, Kazakhstan. We remain optimistic that such exhibitions will continue to be organized, affording us the opportunity to showcase our products," said Noor Ahmad Noori, head of the Union of Carpet Producers and Exporters.
Ministry of Industry and Commerce statistics outline that Afghanistan's carpet exports reached approximately $22 million in value during the solar year 1401
(2022), with key markets including Pakistan, Turkey, the United States, Uzbekistan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Source: https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-184615

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[Agha Sher]

• Summary: Afghanistan exported $350 million in Q1 of the current solar year
• Up 5% versus last same period last year.
• Last year exports were $2 billion.

Afghanistan Exports Surpasses $350M in First Quarter of Solar Year: MoIC​

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) said that exports surpassed $350 million in the first quarter of 1402 solar year.

The MoIC’s spokesman, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Javad, said that the rate of export has increased 5 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

According to Javad, most of the exports have been to Pakistan, India, China and Iran.

“The majority of our export items were fresh fruits, dry fruit, carpets and saffron. They were exported to India, Pakistan, China, Iran and the UAE,” he said.

This comes as the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment said that the world markets, particularly in Russia, needs Afghan agriculture products. Khanjan Alokozai, a member of the ACCI, called for facilitation of air-corridor to pave the way for an increase of exports of Afghan products.

“As Central Asia and Iran have the same fruits, we don’t have a good market there. We have a market in Russia but unfortunately the transit path is a problem as it passes through four and five Central Asian countries,” he said.

Traders meanwhile expressed concerns about challenges in the issuance of business visas, saying that only Pakistan, Iran, and China are distributing visas for trade.

The economists said that the increase in exports has also caused a surge in the country’s national revenue.

“(The increase of our exports) has caused the stabilization of our national currency, moderation in trade balance,” said Azeraksh Hafizi, an economist.

Earlier, the MoIC said that the rate of Afghanistan’s exports reached more than $2 billion in the 1401 solar year.

Source: https://tolonews.com/business-183945

 

[Agha Sher]

Construction of Kabul New City has officially started. The new city which is planned to be 1.5 times larger than Kabul was proposed more than a decade ago. However, the former corrupt government stole all the money dedicated to the project.

The project is important as Kabul is estimated to be one of the top 10 largest cities on earth by 2100 with a population of 50 million inhabitants. Additionally, the project will boost the economy and provide high quality infrastructure as well as industry zones.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1692500115326644594

 

[Agha Sher]

Mind-blowing construction speed at the Qosh Tepa Canal. A project which will transform the food security and bring development to the entire north.

They started constructing bridges for cars and rail just recently. Here is the progress on two of these bridges. Important to mention that no foreign engineers, advisors or investors are involved. This is only made possible by the domestic resources and engineers of Afghanistan.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1693873087375172094

 

[Agha Sher]

Massive! Afghanistan just signed mining agreements worth $6.56 billion with companies from Afghanistan, Türkiye, China, Iran, & Britain.

These agreements will generate serious revenue for Afghanistan.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1697180742495662321

Edit: $6.56 billion is what will be invested by these companies. Enormous indeed for a country like Afghanistan to attract this level of FDI, while being under sanctions.