Lack of buyers: Herat craftswomen fear business collapse

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Women associated with handicrafts’ manufacturing in western Herat province complain their business may collapse if no proper market is found for their products.

Lajaward, 70, one of the craftswomen, told Pajhwok Afghan News that she barely produced one or two kilos of yarn per week, but there was no buyer.

She said with her work she was able to meet family’s needs to some extent and the government should pay attention to finding market for her product.

Rahima Ahmadi, a worker at another such workshop, said thousands of poor women, including her, were busy working in various workshops and a suitable market should be found for the products they produced.

“We work in a thread producing workshop to eke out a living because we don’t have a breadwinner at home and we all face severe economic problems,” she added.

According to her, about 250 poverty-stricken women are working in their workshop, but unfortunately no one buys the thread.

However, Syed Hassan Hussaini, owner of Hussan Qambari Company that produces yarn, said they had provided work for 2,450 women and 40 men in this company and he demanded necessary cooperation from the government in area of marketing.

He added if there was a suitable market, they could produce between two and a half tons of yarn per day, but lack of market did not allow their business to flourish.

According to him, processed yarn is imported from foreign countries, badly affecting the local industry.

Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the western zone attributed the stagnant handicraft business to lack of financial support, market demand and lack of marketing for products.

Behnaz Saljoqi, the head of the Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said most traders had not prepared a platform to sell their products or they invested little capital, causing their business to stagnate.

Saljoqi asked entrepreneurs to study the market before entering the business, which could guarantee the survival and prosperity of their business.

Maulvi Nisar Ahmad Ilyas, a spokesman for the provincial government, told Pajhwok they were cooperating with traders and many efforts had been made in this regard.

He added the local administration had created a suitable platform for business activities in Herat and had organized several exhibitions to support businessmen, especially businesswomen.

sa/ma