In fiscal year 1399, exports volume to reach $ 1.5 billion and economic growth to 3 percent
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Kabul, Afghanistan – Deputy Minister - commerce of ministry of industry and commerce presented key activities of the ministry in fiscal year 1398 in State Accountability Program to the Nation.
“In line with the growth of the trade and transit sector, MoCI has increased the country's export volume to $ 1 billion in the fiscal year 1398, and plans to increase it to $ 1.5 billion in fiscal year 1399 and to $ 2 billion in 1400,” said Deputy Minister Abdul Karim Malikyar.
He added that since the launch of the air corridors, nearly 13,000 tons of goods worth $ 280 million have been exported to different parts of the world, through more than 1,000 flights and Afghan traders can export their goods through Lapis Lazuli corridor to Turkey and Europe, via Chabahar port to India and via Hairatan port to China.
Malikyar stressed that taking into account the importance of holding exhibitions to introduce Afghanistan products, more than 17 international exhibitions and three national exhibitions have been held in 1398, and the ministry intends to increase the number of int'l exhibitions to 20 for the year 1399.
To attract investments and increase the production, the ministry has given priority to distributing lands in industrial parks and significant progress has been made in this regard.
Deputy minister said that Infrastructure work has been completed in four industrial parks in Kabul, Kandahar, Maidan Wardak and Herat - infrastructure work of Industrial parks in Khost, Parwan, Nangarhar and Paktia provinces has begun and Omid project, which includes five agricultural parks in Parwan, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kandahar will soon be implemented.
The ministry has also focused on developing specific policies on distributing lands to women and small enterprises including companies working on processing agricultural products, handicrafts and medical herbs. Besides, 175 companies have received documents of lands in industrial parks and 50 others are waiting for the approval of High Economic Council.
To improve the private sector Malikyar said that in line with the new law of chambers and coordination with private sector, two new chambers are created which includes Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock Products and Chamber of Craftsmen and Shopkeepers.
MoCI has created fundamental reforms to the ministry's General Directorate of Central Registration and Intellectual Property, which includes reducing the cost of licenses from AFN 30,000 to AFN 100, reducing the time to receive licenses in one day, launching the biometric and opening a special office for major traders. After making serious reforms, the General Directorate of Central Registration and Intellectual Property of MoCI has been able to distribute 19,000 licenses in 2019 which is 5,000 more than 2018.
Given the ultimate goal of MoCI, which is the country's economic growth, the country's economic growth rate is expected to increase by more than 3% in the current fiscal year.
Two years ago Afghanistan’s economic growth was 2.7 percent, and last year it was 2.9 percent