KANDAHAR CITY - Residents of southern Kandahar province complain domestic product prices are higher than imported food and non-food items.
Mohammad Ajmal, a resident of 3rd police district, told Pajhwok Afghan News the prices of domestic products were higher than the imported items. People seek cheap-price items.
The items include ghee, beverages, processed grains, plastic pipes, construction materials and several other different things produced domestically and imported from foreign countries.
According to him, residents believe the quality of foreign products is better than the domestic items. That is why they prefer products imported from neighbouring countries.
He urged the government and industrialists to pay attention to the prices and quality of domestic products to make them attractive for consumers and discourage imports.
Another resident, Abdul Wahab, says domestic products have no value despite the passage of years. Another problem is that people are unaware of the value of homemade products.
He blamed industrialists for being unable to promote their products and raise public awareness. He asked the government to ban the import of the items that were produced internally.
Lack of electricity, technical workers and high taxes on raw materials are the main problems facing the industry. But the industrialists are still trying to produce products with appropriate prices and quality.
Abdul Bari, owner of a plastic pipe factory in the Kandahar industrial park, said his factory produced high-quality products with lower prices than Iranian and Pakistani pipes.
He said the industrialists, who had invested millions of afghanis, were trying to produce best-quality products with appropriate prices.
Nasrullah Zahir, the chamber of commerce and industry head, told Pajhwok the government was responsible for facilitating the industry and reducing imports.
He claimed 15 to 20 percent tax on 800 raw materials by the government had led to an increase in the cost of domestic products. Another issue is that the items that are abundantly produced at home are imported from foreign countries.
Rahimullah Agha, head of the traders’ association, complained no facility had been provided for Kandahar-based industrialists, who faced several other problems as well.
Faizul Haq Mushkani, deputy head of the industrialists’ association, explained lack of electricity for the past several years had left 154 factories working at 50 percent of their capacity and 135 others inactive in the Kandahar industrial park.
There are more than 200 factories in Kandahar producing cotton, oil, soap, plastic pipes, various food items, non-alcoholic drinks, etc. About 5,000 people were working there, he informs.
Faizullah Hodman, a provincial industry and mining official, said the department had created an institution to address the issues of industry. (Pajhwok)