Kandahar traders want ban on wool export lifted

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Ban on the export of wool faced traders in southern Kandahar province with losses and they asked the acting authorities to allow its export.

Commerce and Business Officials in the province said they banned the export of wool in order to promote the carpet industry in the country.

Faizullah, a wool businessman, said: “Thousands of tonnes of wool are available in the store and we cannot sell it even at the price we purchased.”

He added currently there were no customers of wool in the country because domestically its demand was low and its export outside was also not allowed.

“The government should purchase wool from us at reasonable price or allow its export outside the country. All our wools are in the stores and cannot be sold. What should we do?”

Abdul Jalil, the wool storage in-charge in Kandahar City, said wools was produced in the country while 50 percent of the locally produced wool was not used by the carpet industry.

“Our local wool production is surplus, our storages are full, there is no factory in the country who could purchase all this so we want the IEA to allow the export of wools,” he said.

Some Kochies said that wool rate had surged compared to the past and with the support of some organisations they got awareness in this regard; they separate black and white wools and then sold them on traders.

Abdul Ghafar, a Kohchi resident of Daman district, said: “In the past we sold white and black wool at the same rate, the price of one kilogram of wool was not more than 50 afs but now one kilogram wool was sold at 250 afs.”

Abdul Baqi Bena, deputy head of the Business and Investment Department, said daily thousands of sheep were slaughtered in the country and thousands of tonnes of wool was collected annually so there is need for the marketing.

“If the export is still banned then efforts should be made to explore market for the wools available with Kochies.”

Mawlavi Nasrulllah, head of the Commerce and Industry Department, said in the first nine months of last year over 186,000 kilograms of carpet thread worth over $943,000 had been exported but this year no export had taken place.

“In the past the rate of carpet thread was up to 400 afs but now it not more than 350 afs. The ministry banned wools export in order to promote carpet industry in the country.”

It is worth mentioning that carpet is a historic and traditional industry in the country which is known worldwide.

nh