Air Corridor Has Increased For Afghan Traders | Business in Afghanistan
What is the main business in Afghanistan?
Agriculture and livestock remains Afghanistan’s most important source of employment: 60-80 percent of Afghanistan’s population works in this sector, although it accounts for less than a third of GDP due to insufficient irrigation, drought, lack of market access, and other structural impediments.
Business in Afghanistan
There are a lot of businesses in Afghanistan which work globally and air corridors are the only way they can go forward.
Afghanistan export overview
Early indications are that support for the economy and increasing trade and investment will be priorities for the Afghanistan government.
Afghanistan is a challenging export market best suited for companies used to managing risks and handling difficult security environments. Corruption is widespread and the bureaucracy is a challenge. Despite this there are some 100 UK companies that either export goods or services and or are based in Afghanistan. Amongst European countries the UK is the main trading partner with Afghanistan after Germany who has the lion share when it comes to exporting goods.
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) said that the exports and imports of Afghan products through air corridors have recently increased.
Afghanistan need more relations with other countries to start and stablish businesses and start working on ideas.
Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the MoF, said that Afghanistan imported commodities worth 7.8 billion Afs over the past 15 months.
According to Haqmal, more than 4.3 billion Afs worth of commodities has been imported into Afghanistan in the same period of time.
“Within the past 15 months, commodities worth 7.8 billion Afs have been imported to Afghanistan via air corridor. The Finance Ministry made 950 million in revenue from it,” he said.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) said that the commodities, which have been exported via air corridor, included carpets, pine nuts, and handmade crafts.
A spokesman for the MoIC, Ahundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, said the exports have been made to China and India.
“Over the past eight months, our exports have been to China and India via air corridor. We have had around 600 tons of exports via air corridor to China. We had around 200 tons of exports to India via a private airline company and also to other countries via Dubai, UAE,” he said.
Meanwhile, the traders called for air corridors to European markets.
“The air corridor is one of the main parts of business. More exports via air corridor to India, China and the Gulf countries, as well as the EU and US, will benefit us,” said Zalmai Azimi, a trader.
Based on the statistics of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, more than 5,000 tons of pine nuts have been exported via air corridor in the year 1400.
