Quarantine center building at Torkham port completed

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Construction work on a building for a quarantine and inspection centre for livestock and agriculture products has been completed at a cost of 7.4 million afghanis at Torkham port, an official said on Sunday.

Nangarhar Agriculture Director Maulvi Abdul Sattar Mohammad said the building took five months to complete and was put into service on Saturday.

He said the building was constructed with financial support of the Ministry of Agriculture Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL).

He added the structure has laboratories for agriculture and livestock products, administrative rooms, toilets, kitchens and a 216-meter long boundary wall.

Exports and imports of agriculture products and livestock will be inspected and quarantined at the facility according to the rules of the World Trade Organization

He said the quarantine facility would ensure that livestock and agricultural products were carefully inspected during their export and import. The facility will provide certificates for products after inspecting their quality, health and possibility of virus.

On the other hand, traders were happy with the establishment of the quarantine center because they would not face any problems in exports and imports.

Shakirullah Safi, the head of the export section of the Nangarhar Chamber of Commerce, said traders were issued no such certificates in the past and they would face many problems and often their goods decayed in other countries due to the lack of such certificates.

Work on this facility was started during the previous government, but it came to a halt after the regime change.

kk/ma