PRESS RELEASE For Media Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan, Add: Karte-4- 2nd Street Behind Soria High School Kabul Afghanistan Phone: +93 (0) 202 50 48 37 Email: [email protected] website: epaa.org.af Craft Industry a Great Potential Source of Economic Growth Kabul, November 10, 2013–In order to drive competitiveness and growth in the country’s craft sector, Harakat, the Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan (EPAA) and the Far and Wide Collective Firm signed a grant agreement today, marking the start of the Afghan National Craft Standards Development Project: The Afghanistan Artisan Toolkit. “Afghanistan has a rich material culture, and its craft sector has the potential to once again become a substantial source of economic growth, education and national pride,” said Naseem Akbar, CEO of Harakat, during the signing ceremony at the EPAA Conference Hall. “This project will help the Afghan crafts industry become a solid driver for the Afghan economy by creating standards that will enable Afghan artisans to participate effectively in the fast-growing international market for handmade craft products.” In Afghanistan, the value chain for artisan entrepreneurs is fragmented: there is no deep understanding of how to build a business and few widely accepted standards for export, as well as little knowledge about the quality standards buyers worldwide are expecting today. To address these issues, the Harakat-funded Afghan National Craft Standards Development Project aims to create a set of non-enforceable and non-mandatory standards to improve production and design processes, elicit the needs and preferences of international buyers, and promote exports by instituting more efficient business management. “The Afghan National Craft Standards Development Project will first assess the crafts sector in order to understand the existing qualitative problems in more detail. This assessment will guide the design and content of the toolkit,” said Najla Habibyar, CEO of EPAA. “Parallel to this, we will look at the regulatory barriers faced by women in the artisan sector, and specifically to the kinds of legal and regulatory barriers they face exporting their products. The results of the regulatory assessment will support a small Public Private Dialogue (PPD) under the project, which sets the stage for discussions and consultations between crafts businesses and the government through EPAA.” The overall objectives of the Afghan National Craft Standards Development Project are: Develop a road map that allows artisan entrepreneurs to raise production standards, improve design and sell for export; Develop production and quality control standards, as well as knowledge-sharing practices that will create an improved business environment for craft production; Allow profitable businesses to expand into international markets; and Create livelihoods for a vulnerable population group. In the 1970s, craft production comprised nine per cent of Afghanistan’s GNP.It was the second top employer in rural areas, second only to the agricultural sector. The project was designed in partnership with the Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan (EPAA) and will be implemented by Far and Wide Collective Firm. Public Relation Department EPAA
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 13:51:46 +0000
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