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Agriculture minister says sector will only grow if its mechanized

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(Last Updated On: June 1, 2023)

Afghanistan’s agricultural sector will only develop once the industry has been mechanized, the minister of agriculture and livestock said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event to mark Farming Day, at one of Afghanistan’s research farms, Ataullah Omari said that although Afghanistan is an agricultural country, there are many problems in this sector.

“Unless farmers, investors and members of the research center of the agriculture sector work in coordination with each other, the country’s agricultural system cannot have a positive result. We have started efforts to increase coordination and use seeds that have been analyzed and certified in the country in order to achieve self-sufficiency in terms of wheat and other agricultural products,” Omar said.

Other officials from the ministry said they are providing farmers with approved seed in order to help them increase their yields. Currently, the ministry has promoted 46 types of certified seeds.

“We have a high capacity in the analysis and certification of agricultural products, and various international organizations cooperate with us in this area. We hope that the ministry will distribute land for the development of research farms,” Nusratullah Talha, head of the Research Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, said.

Data shows that Afghanistan needs 6.3 million metric tons of wheat annually, and it is expected that 5.2 million metric tons of wheat will be harvested in the country this year.

According to experts, if farmers do not use domestically certified seed, the grain shortage problem in the country will worsen.

“We need years of work in the regulation of the seed certification sector, and we are active in this sector, but farmers still do not use certified seeds,” said Mohammad Qasim Obadi, a university professor.

The agriculture and livestock sector in Afghanistan is still largely conducted traditionally and despite opportunities offered over the years to invest in agriculture, not much attention was paid to this sector.

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Ministry of commerce allocates land for oil refineries

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(Last Updated On: March 14, 2024)

Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi, said in a meeting with oil refinery officials that as soon as they are ready to invest, the ministry will establish an oil and gas industrial park.

In this meeting, refinery officials discussed problems regarding the Qashqari oil field and agreed that land should be provided. They said oil extracted from Qashqari needed to be refined through the standard process.

Azizi, while announcing the cooperation and support of the Islamic Emirate and especially the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the private sector of the country, said: “A joint proposal should be arranged and submitted to this ministry for the land of the refineries, and also if the officials of the refineries are ready to invest in the area of Dara-e-Hairatan, an oil and gas industrial park will be created and the land will be placed under their control.”

Azizi emphasized the need to increase the capacity of existing refineries and the quality of oil, shared the decision of the High Economic Commission regarding the establishment of a large refinery.

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Pakistan’s Federal Secretary of Commerce invited to visit Kabul

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(Last Updated On: March 11, 2024)

Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, has invited Pakistan’s Federal Secretary of Commerce Mohammad Khurram Agha to visit Kabul.

In a virtual meeting, the two sides discussed the progress made in the last two and a half years in the country, the increase in trade between the two countries, solving problems and removing trade and transit barriers.

They also discussed the need for more facilities, establishing close relations between the governments and private sectors of the two countries and boosting regional cooperation, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement Monday.

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Headline inflation in Afghanistan down to -10.2% in January: World Bank

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(Last Updated On: March 11, 2024)

In January 2024, headline inflation experienced a significant downturn, reaching -10.2 percent on a year-on-year basis, the World Bank said in a report.

This substantial drop was largely due to a sharp decline in prices across both food and non-food categories, the report said.

Moreover, core inflation, which strips out the typically volatile food and energy sectors, also fell into negative territory, posting a rate of -6.5 percent on year-on-year basis.

“This ongoing core deflation reflects a troubling inability of both private and public sectors to stimulate sufficient demand. While this period of falling prices may offer temporary financial relief to the most vulnerable households by reducing the cost of living, it can also harm the broader macroeconomy,” the World Bank said.

According to the bank, Afghanistan’s exports contracted by 5 percent on year-on-year basis to $140.5 million in January 2024, down from $148.1 million the previous January.

Food exports to India jumped by 22 percent, compared to an 18 percent decline in Pakistan. Pakistan and India continued to be the top export destinations, claiming 45 percent and 34 percent of the total exports in January 2024, respectively.

The 2023 growth trend in imports extended into January 2024, hitting $830 million, up 37 percent from $600 million in January 2023.

According to the report, in 2023, the afghani (AFN) saw a significant 27 percent appreciation against the US dollar, buoyed by the influx of around $1.8 billion in UN cash shipments and an estimated $2 billion in remittances.

Revenues have been below the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) target during the first eleven months of FY2024, with border taxes underperforming despite a surge in imports.

Over the eleven-month span of FY2024, from March 22, 2023, to February 21, 2024, Afghanistan’s revenue collection reached AFN 189 billion, narrowly missing the target by 2 percent but marking a 5.6 percent increase from the previous fiscal year, the report said.

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