Business
Agriculture minister says sector will only grow if its mechanized
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.
Business
Acting commerce minister meets Russian deputy PM
Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, met with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk to discuss trade and investment, it was announced on Friday.
Sergey Pavlov, General Director of Russian Railways, and Dmitry Zverev, Deputy Minister of Transport of Russia, were also present in the meeting, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement.
According to the statement, the two sides discussed increasing the volume of trade, preferential tariff for Afghan goods, Russian investment in mines and water dams in Afghanistan, and Afghanistan’s role in the International North–South Transport Corridor.
They also discussed about reducing the cost of transportation through the Russian railway, removing the export tax on basic materials, arranging the trip of the delegation to the ports of Astrakhan and Makhachkala, and holding a trade connectivity conference and an expo of Afghan products in Moscow.
Azizi met with the Russian deputy PM on the sidelines of the Kazan Forum – the 15th International Economic Forum of Russia and the Islamic World.
He also met with representatives of a number of Tatarstan and Russia companies and encouraged them to invest in Afghanistan.
Business
Azizi meets with head of Tatarstan on sidelines of Kazan Forum
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said Thursday acting minister Nooruddin Azizi met with the leader of Russia’s autonomous republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov, on the sidelines of a meeting in Kazan.
According to the ministry, Azizi met with Minnikhanov on the sidelines of the Kazan Forum – the 15th International Economic Forum of Russia and the Islamic World.
The two officials discussed bilateral trade relations, the establishment of the Russian Trade House in Afghanistan, the visit of Minnikhanov to Kabul, investment in electricity production, water transfer, mining, cultural and economic cooperation and other matters.
This annual meeting is held by Russia and the 14th round of this meeting was also held in the same country last year.
The main goal of the forum is to strengthen trade and economic, scientific and technical, social and cultural ties between Russian regions and the countries of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as to promote the development of the Islamic financial system institutions in Russia.
Business
Afghanistan’s imports and exports totaled $10.3 billion last year
The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) said on Wednesday that last year, the value of exports totaled $1.79 billion while imports totaled $8.57 billion.
According to NSIA, fruits accounted for the largest share of export items last year, totaling over $645 million.
Medicinal plants, minerals and vegetables were the next top three items respectively to be exported.
Meanwhile, petroleum and oil accounted for the largest portion of imported goods, totaling over $1.37 billion.
Another large portion of the total amount imported went to machinery, vehicles and parts. This totaled over $1.15 billion, followed by textiles, metals and metal products.
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