Mullah Baradar pledges to support private investment in Afghanistan

KABUL (TOLO News): The deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, said that the Islamic Emirate will support all traders who seek to invest in Afghanistan.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of an air corridor between Kabul and Shanghai, Baradar said that the air corridor will help improve the economic sector in the country.

“We call on all traders and industrial owners to work to expand trade. We urge the traders abroad to bring their investment to Afghanistan,” Baradar said.

This comes as the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) said that within the past six months, products worth $72 million were exported through the air corridor.

“We also had imports of $62 million,” said Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, a spokesman for the MoIC.

Meanwhile, the officials of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that efforts are underway to extend the flights to European countries and the US.

“We will provide assistance through any possible way to the people of Afghanistan. We can export precious products such as pine nuts, saffron and hing plants through the air corridor,” said Mohammad Younus Momand, acting head of the ACCI.

The traders meanwhile said that the Islamic Emirate needs to provide subsidies to the traders to export their products through the air corridor.

“90 percent of our pine nuts are being exported to China. We should have a proper path and air corridor. The fees should be fair. We want to compete with the neighbors,” said Shir Ali, a trader.