Economic Commission approves 66 draft national standards

Afghanistan’s Economic Commission has approved 66 draft national standards and testing methods covering a wide range of agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors.

The commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, approved 36 national standards and 30 testing methods following discussions and a review of the proposals, according to a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The approved standards cover areas including agricultural products, food, medicines, textiles, chemicals and plastics, telecommunications and electricity, mining, construction materials and environmental protection, among other sectors.

The move is aimed at establishing clearer standards and testing procedures across key areas of production and trade, helping to provide a common framework for assessing the quality and safety of products.

The commission also discussed the ownership and management of coal unloading, loading, processing and packaging facilities in Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces.

Following a comprehensive assessment, the commission decided that the facilities would fall under the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, which will oversee their operations.