Afghanistan invites Indian firms to explore business opportunities in agriculture field

New Delhi, Sept 15 (KNN) Afghanistan has invited Indian businesses to explore business opportunities in the country in the fields of agriculture manufacturing and processing, packaging, trading and marketing.

The invitation was made by Naseer Ahmad Durrani, Afghanistan's minister of agriculture, irrigation and livestock during the four day conference and exhibition 'Passage to prosperity : India-Afghanistan  International Trade and Investment Show' organized by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) which concluded today.

Rebuilding trade relationships and expanding export markets for Afghan products are critical for Afghanistan job creation, capital flows and overall stability, Durrani said “Afghanistan is looking for potential investors in the areas of agriculture manufacturing and processing, packaging, trading and marketing.”

With the opening of air corridor between Kabul and New Delhi and Kabul and Mumbai, Afghanistan exports dry fruits, fresh fruits to India. Afghanistan's agriculture exports are on the rise and are expected to increase by 30 per cent this year to USD 260 Million from previous years USD 200 Million, he added.

Top export destinations for Afghanistan are Pakistan and India followed by China, Iran and Turkey, said Durrani.

With increased capacity of Afghan producers and exporters to deliver the freshest of produce to market, these quality products are once again finding their way onto supermarket shelves, he added.

At the four day ‘India-Afghanistan International Trade and Investment Show', more than 50 agriculture exporters from Afghanistan participated in the exhibition in Mumbai to explore business tie ups as well as  to showcase their  finest high value agriculture products including fruits, nuts and spices for the first time for Indian buyers from Maharashtra and neighboring states.

The current bilateral trade between the two countries is US $ 900 million and is expected to reach US $ two billion by the year 2020.