The fifth domestic products exhibition was opened in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat where business community and locals showcased their products in various stalls that highly attracted visitors from Herat and other provinces.

Local investors from Herat, Kandahar and Balkh provinces showcased their products in the exhibition.

Head of Herat Chamber of Mines and Industries, Hamidullah Khadim, said the quality of domestic products has developed comparted to the previous years and they can compete with foreign brands in local markets.

“There are over 180 stalls of domestic products in the exhibition,” said Khadim.

“We are ready to hear the problems and the challenges facing our investors and industry owners. Most of them complain about tariffs and security. We want to asses these issues from near,” said Hamdullah Mohib, National Security Advisor, who is in Herat in an official visit.

Women handcrafts make the key part of the exhibition.

“We are working on overcoming the dumping policy. It is difficult to sort out it at once because there is not enough capacity to control the borders, but there is strategy in place to overcome the problem,” Herat Governor Abdul Qayum Rahimi said.

But no official from the Ministry of Commerce and Industries attended the exhibition.

“Development is slow in Afghanistan. It was good for President Ghani to be here in the inauguration ceremony. If he was not here, then commerce minister should have attended the event,” said Ezmarai Sahibzada, an investor.

“Today, the national security advisor is here. The national security advisor should have been here for a security reason, not for a business gathering,” said Nafas Gul Jami, an organizer of the event.