KANDAHAR (Pajhwok): Problems regarding the recently-launched Afghanistan-India air corridor should be jointly resolved by the government and businessmen, officials in southern Kandahar province said on Thursday.
A meeting at the Kandahar governor’s house was attended by Governor Zalmai Wesa, Deputy head of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Mohammad Younus Momand, Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Industry head Haji Nasrullah Zaheer, traders and other officials.
Momand said the air corridor with India was ‘a golden opportunity’ for Afghanistan’s exports, particularly of fruits.
He said the ACCI was trying to boost the country’s economy and bring Afghanistan at par with developed countries through air commerce.
However, he said some problems also existed in the air commerce which he suggested should be jointly resolve by the government and traders.
He said substandard packaging of fruits, lack of transport facilities and insecurity were problems for air commerce.
But if the mentioned problems were resolved, Momand said local products for export would be standardized.
Governor Wesa said they were committed to resolving problems within the authority of the provincial government.
He also stressed standard packaging of fruits and said high quality and well packed goods should be exported to India by cargo planes.
“Standardization, honesty and justice is important in doing business so we offer high quality products to the world market, it would also encourage foreign traders to invest in Afghanistan,” he said.
Wesa hoped the air corridor would also pave the ground for Afghanistan;s fruits to reach European countries and the US as well.
On June 19, President Ashraf Ghani formally inaugurated the Afghanistan-India Air Corridor in capital Kabul.
The aim of the air corridor is to develop commerce and economy and remove transit barriers between Afghanistan and India.
The first cargo plane exported 60 tons of products from Kabul to India. The second cargo plane loaded with 40 tons of dried fruits flew from Kandahar to India on June 14.
Kandahar traders also stressed solution to problems regarding the air commerce.
Fresh fruits trader in Kandahar, Jalal Rahman, said there were no cold storages, scanners and warehouse facilities at the Kandahar airport.
They asked the officials concerned to resolve the problems so Afghan traders could easily export their products to India.
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