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KABUL (SW): The union of shoe makers in Afghanistan has said their sales are on the upward trajectory.
Mohammad Asif Jami, head of the union, told Salam Watandar they used to sell up to a million pairs of shoes annually, but now this figure has jumped to 4 million pairs annually. “Currently, we have good market for shoes made locally, the companies have more production capability”, added Jami.
The ambitious shoe makers want to further boost their business. Ghulam Nabi, a businessman, urged government to add taxes on imported shoes in a bid to encourage domestic production.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, deputy director for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has pronounced the growth in local production and sale as beneficial for the economy of the country. He said the shoe industry, leather and wood products, and handicrafts industries have created thousands of employment opportunities in the past few years.
The union of shoe makers sees the lack of industrial parks, shortfall in electricity supply and high taxes as the main impediments in the growth of domestic industry against the flood of imported shoes. More than 600 shoe production companies are established in Afghanistan, but only 300 are functioning.
ENDS
