Trade activities at Abresham crossing drastically down

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): Trade activities at the Abresham crossing between Iran and Afghanistan have drastically declined over the past one year, according to businessmen on Tuesday.

Abdul Sttar Noorzai, one of the businessmen, who dose business on the Abresham crossing in southwestern Nimroz province, said border tension in the area, closure of the Abresham crossing for a long time and surge in duties on commercial goods caused decline in trade activities.

“The traders’ problems are surge in tariff, time consuming process of goods transfer, lack of government attention to traders goods, the lack of identification of goods by current officials during control process and others that contributed in putting pressure on businessmen and decline in the business activities,” he said.

He said in the past tariff was 70 percent but currently the government surged it to 100 percent.

He further said, downsize of the customs officials and the existence of a serious problem in the loading of goods, the negligence of the officials towards people’s property and goods were some of the factors that harmed affected the trade

He said 60 percent traders of Abresham port switched to Islam Qala and Abu Nasar Al Farahi Ports due to the existing issues here.

Abdul Salaam Rahmani, one of the businessmen who import goods from Turkey and Iran said after the fall of the past government trade activities in Nimroz province suffered setback like the overall economic situation which had deteriorated.

Referring to the decline in trade activities, he said the first reason was that the economic situation in the country was not good, apart from food items other thing has no market and the next thing is that some businessmen had left the country and and took their capital as well.

He said the Abreshem crossing was monopolized by Iran and it was up to Iranians that how many trucks shall move.

Naseer Sadaat, one of the truck driver who transfer transit goods, said: “The problems in the business sector are increasing day by day, no one cares about this province at all, go and see what is going on at Nimroz Customs, the government is so strict with traders during customs procedures, all the traders’ cargoes have been transferred to the borders of other provinces.”

He said he know some businessmen who stopped carrying their goods to this port, other ports are developing but trade activities dried up here.

The businessmen of Nimroz are complaining about the problems in the business sector when Last week, a high-ranking delegation led by the governor of Sistan and Baluchistan, Dr. Mohammad Karmi, visited this province at the invitation of the local government of Nimroz and discussed issues related to businessmen.

Information Director Mufti Habibullah Elham said a delegation from Iran visited the province and discussed matters related to businessmen, refugees and truck drivers.

He added during the meeting it was decided that the Abresham crossing will remain open for transit trucks 27/7 and now around 600 vehicles daily cross the crossing.

He said a letter was also signed by the Sistan Blochistan and Nirmoz government during the meeting, he did not revealed the content of the letter.

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