Business
Construction of Milk Processing Factory Begins in Kabul
The foundation stone of a milk processing factory was laid in Kabul during a ceremony on Tuesday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nasir Ahmad Durrani, the Minister of Agriculture, said the factory will be constructed with the capacity of processing 80,000 liters of milk in 24 hours.
“Seven types of good-quality dairy, namely milk, yogurt, cheese, cream, butter, and dried curd will be produced in the factory,” Minister Durrani said.
He added that the factory is estimated to cost some 3.3 million USD, funded by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD).
The project will be implemented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“Upon the operation of the factory, the imports of dairy products will be reduced and this will contribute to the economic growth as well,” Minister Durrani further said.
Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show that, on average, 3,000 metric tons of beef and 1,952,000 tons of milk are produced and consumed annually in the country.
Still, with annual exports of cattle skins worth 8.56 million USD and dried curd worth over 200,000 USD, livestock holders have a major share in the total of 15 % of agricultural GDP.
The Minister of Agriculture called the start of the construction of the factory “another stride towards the growth, support and strengthening of livestock” that could help “reduce dairy imports and boost the national economy.”
At the same event, Fabrizio Cesaretti, an official from the FAO said that the construction of the factory will bring positive changes in the life of livestock keepers in the country.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said Thursday it has signed cooperation agreements with ten institutions to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, said: “In the implementation of projects, we must pay special attention to our activities and actions and try to make useful use of the projects according to the requirements and benefit the beneficiaries.”
These ten institutions are to present their projects, the total value of which is around over $1.1 million. The projects will be carried out in Kabul, Baghlan, Ghor, Herat, Logar, Nangarhar, Balkh, Badakhshan and Jawzjan provinces and provide direct jobs for about 1,000.
To date, the ministry has signed MoUs for 72 projects in total, collectively valued at about $53.6 million.
These agreements have been signed with domestic and foreign companies for the establishment of small and medium-sized businesses.
In accordance with the principles and laws of the Islamic Emirate and prioritizing the implementation of projects for immigrants and returnees and internally displaced people, the ministry said 635,865 people will benefit through jobs directly and over 4.3 million will benefit indirectly in 25 provinces once these projects are implemented.
The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) confirmed Tuesday that in the last month of solar year 1402, (March 2024) Afghanistan’s exports totaled $141.1 million and imports totaled $789.6 million.
This was down from $174 million for exports in the same period in 1401. However, imports increased by $99.2 million in 1402, up from $690.4 million.
Most exports in the last month of 1402 went to Pakistan, India and the United Arab Emirates, while in the last month of 1401 exports went to Pakistan, India and China.
The Ministry of Interior said the governor of Herat province Islam Jar met with Alim Khan Yasin Gildaye, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Afghanistan, to discuss various issues around trade.
According to the ministry, the two sides discussed the expansion of trade facilities, increasing the volume of trade exchanges between traders of the two countries, reducing customs tariffs, solving the challenges of traders and issuing visas to them.
The Afghanistan-Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce has been opened in Herat in order to facilitate and increase trade between the two countries.
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