AT-KABUL: Afghanistan plans to open air corridors to send products to five countries, the ministry of commerce and industries said Wednesday, a move after the opening air corridors with India and Kazakhstan last year.
“We are planning to open air corridors to Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Turkey this year,” said Mosafer Qoqandi, spokesman of the ministry.
He called the air corridors important for the economic growth. “This is also important for us to know which products have good markets in these countries.”
Afghanistan is now exporting products to India and Kazakhstan through the air corridors made in 2017. The corridor to Kazakhstan is rarely used, but two corridors to India’s New Delhi and Mumbai are active in exporting Afghan goods to the Indian cities.
Some Afghan traders say that the air corridors were costly and took more time to export their goods, but the chamber of commerce and industries calls them important to expand exports.
Seyam Pasarlai, spokesman of the chamber said that most of the fresh fruit get rotten due to lack of proper warehouses, but the air corridors help the products be exported in a short time.
“The air corridors cause more employment, we will get more commercial experiences, our commercial relations will increase that helps more political relations based on mutual benefits,” said Taj Mohammad Talash, a business expert.