Afghanistan to Push for Domestic Products

Afghan Ministry of Economy said it has started work on developing the value chain of 15 types of domestic products in order to boost the national economy, Tolonews reported. The ministry said a strategy has been developed to increase the value of a number of domestic products and to address challenges in the production, processing and packaging areas of these goods so as to increase their value on global markets. Officials said with improvements, the sale of these goods will help boost national revenue. “In order to identify the goods that can boost national and local economies through added value, we will implement specific programs and prioritize (plans to promote) these products,” said Mohammad Ismail Rahimi, deputy minister of economy. Meanwhile, the ministry of mines and petroleum said that based on the ministry’s plan, the economy ministry will also look at attracting investment in the mining sector–specifically that involving the extraction of natural stone used in the construction sector. The officials said that mining could rapidly boost the country’s economy.