If you’re covering Gulfood, you don’t want to miss Afghanistan with its fast-growing agribusiness sector. Afghanistan produces some of the world’s finest saffron, pomegranates, nuts and dried fruit.
- Growing infrastructure and improving trade links will aid even more growth in 2019 with recent trade agreements and subsidised air-cargo services starting to pay off.
- High-quality exports already go to the EU, the USA, Russia, China, India, Dubai, and other Gulf and Asian nations
- Beyond the numbers – our exhibitors have some extraordinary stories. If you think you’ve heard every company’s success strategy - think again. Afghanistan is one of the most challenging markets in the world.
Interview Afghanistan’s Minister of Agriculture H.E. Nasir Durrani and talk to some of our 49 traders and exporters.USAID officials, who’ve helped support the CHAMP program will also be there.
OUR STORIES
Here are some of the stories you can find at the Gulfood Afghanistan Pavilion
- Omaid Bahar – supporting tens of thousands of Afghan farmers
Omaid Bahar was a pioneer in developing the horticulture value chain in Afghanistan, creating thousands of jobs and enabling Afghan farmers to earn a living from produce that was once wasted.
The company not only helps farmers get their crops out of formerly inaccessible areas with its transport fleet, it educates Afghan farmers on best growing practices and is mechanizing the industry.
From its state-of-art, multi-fruit processing facility, the company is currently processes around 30-40,000 tons of locally produced fruit, with the capacity to increase to 70,000 tons, all to international standards such as HACCP, and ISO 22000.
PomeGreat, the UK’s leading pomegranate juice company, was the first international company to purchase any form of fruit juice from Afghanistan, and is a returning Omaid Bahar client.
Bomb attack
The company has had its setbacks, losing millions of dollars in pulp and damage to its cold rooms when a suicide truck bomb was detonated at a nearby business. Omaid Bahar could have closed up shop, but instead took the losses and rebuilt, ensuring job continuity for its farmers and workers. One example of the determination of business in Afghanistan
- Afghanistan Red Gold Saffron/ Herat Saffron
Afghanistan Red Gold Saffron (Trading as Herat Saffron) accounts for about 50% of Afghanistan’s saffron market, and was one of the first companies established after the 2001 fall of the Taliban.
Herat Saffron started small in 2002, and continued to grow the business with the help of international donor programs. In 2006, farmers started coming to them for help finding markets.
The company’s first exports came in 2008, to the US – their 20kgs of saffron had to be sent to clients on a US military transport plane, as other commercial arrangements weren’t available. At that time Afghanistan’s total saffron production was an estimated 2-300kg.
The company now exports to the EU, North America, Gulf countries and India. It’s own exports have grown from 20kg in 2008 to 6000kg ($6.5m) in 2018.
It’s expecting to export 10,000kg by 2020. Press Contact:
Donagh Houlihan
+971502426673
donaghhoulihan@rootsofpeace.org
- 3. Tabasom Raisin Processing Factory
Tabasom buys grapes from all over in the country – from the famed Shomali plain north of Kabul, Kandahar, the ancient city founded by Alexander the Great, Sar e Pul in the north and Ghazni in the central region.
Its Sun Power and Grape Valley brands account for about 45% of Afghanistan’s total raisin output with between 7-10,000 tons a year processed in a state-of the art ISO certified facility in Kabul.
The products are sold in the EU, Russia, China, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries.
The family owned company provides a variety of services to farmers, including workshops on harvesting techniques, post-harvest handling and storage.
- Setara Dry Fruits & Nuts Processing Co.
Setara is the new kid on the block in Afghanistan’s dried fruit and nuts market having only began operations in 2017. The company already employs 25 workers with current exports focused on India and Dubai.
Setara is committed to employing women and ensuring they are paid a fair wage. The company is one of the few in Afghanistan to offer child care to its workers.
An upcoming $1.5m expansion will add almond processing (shelling and roasting), as well as pistachio, pine nut, walnut, mulberry, dried apricot and raisin production.
Setara also provides a helping hand to its suppliers by providing training on effect harvesting and post-harvest handling techniques and storage.
Press Contact:
Donagh Houlihan
+971502426673
donaghhoulihan@rootsofpeace.org
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