Balkh businesswomen seek market for their products

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): The import of low quality industrial products to northern Balkh province has concerned female local industrialists, who are struggling to find market for their goods.

According to the provincial Women’s Affairs Department, the number of female industrialists in Balkh exceeds 10,000.

About 10 big industries are being run by women in Balkh, where a number of women’s associations operate to make collective efforts at finding market for their products.

Women’s Affairs Director Rabia Maryam told Pajhwok Afghan News that women have a proactive role in business activities in Balkh.

She said many women in Mazar-i-Sharif led business firms and were able to resolve their economic problems and support other females.

She said women in Balkh ran about 10 big business firms producing various products for sale in the market. Their products included woven shawls, food items and processing dried fruits and manufacturing other industrial goods.

Atifa Quraish, who has been running a business firm for the last five years, said the major problem they faced was finding market for their products.

She runs a handicraft industry, where 18 other women work. “We make standard handicrafts and present them to the market under contracts with dealers,” Quraishi said.

She complained common people gave importance to imported goods over locally produced ones. “Imported goods are of low quality, but most people buy them because their prices are low. Our products are of high quality but their rates are high compared to the imported goods.”

She said if the government helped them find market for their goods and assisted local industries in area of advertisement, the measures would help promote local industry and resolve problems being faced by local industrialists.

Economic expert at the Governor’s House, Ahmad Wali Sangar, said women had great achievements in diverse fields in Balkh including business.

He said businesswomen in Balkh had been provided the environment they needed to develop their businesses. There were markets in Balkh where only women sold and bought products, he said.

The women’s affairs director also said that women faced some problems in business activities, but the environment they had been provided was of great significance.

Maryam said her department its level best was trying to assist businesswomen in area of advertisement and running their affairs effectively.

In this regard, she said, they organised workshops, seminars, exhibitions and business trips and these efforts had positive results.

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