Press Release

Kabul International Fresh Fruit and Vegetable AgFair Attracts 50,000 Participants

Kabul, Afghanistan  | Saturday, May 23, 2009

An estimated 50,000 people participated in the Kabul International Fresh Fruit and Vegetable AgFair on May 20-22 to celebrate Afghanistan’s fast-growing agricultural sector and forge business deals that capitalize on the country’s abundance of fresh produce ranging from pomegranates and grapes to cauliflower and spinach.

“Afghanistan has sparked the interest and the appetite – literally the appetite – of the world,” said U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry on the opening day of the AgFair, adding that the country’s agricultural fairs are generating millions of dollars in sales by helping to link Afghan business people with international markets.

Acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) Saleem Khan Kunduzi; the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director William Frej; Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Qurban Haqjo of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI); and other high-level international and Afghan officials joined Ambassador Eikenberry in launching the fair at Badam Bagh Farm in Kabul. The officials toured the fairgrounds and interviewed representatives of some of the more than 180 international and national businesses, ranging from honey producers to machinery providers, displaying their wares in booths and tents.

The fair involved business-to-business meetings between leading agribusiness representatives from Afghanistan, India, China, Kuwait, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Not only did these meetings link Afghan suppliers to international buyers, but they also facilitated business deals to stimulate the country’s agriculture sector. A representative of Case-New Holland, a leading manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, said the company will select one of three Afghan entrepreneurs introduced at the business-to-business meetings to sell its machinery in Afghanistan.

“On a scale of one through ten, this fair was an eleven,” said Mansoor Risvi, a business manager from Case-New Holland. “I have traveled to many countries and attended many seminars in my life, but this fair really stands out.”

The AgFair also hosted a productivity center in which 3,000 Afghan farmers, students and government staff learned about improved agricultural methods involving greenhouses, grape trellising, soil testing, pesticide application, food safety standards and cashmere harvesting.

The event was the tenth such agricultural trade event held in Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s agricultural fairs have attracted more than 500,000 participants from across the nation and the world. They are considered by many to be the biggest and most important trade and agricultural events in Afghanistan.

The AgFairs are organized by the MAIL, ACCI, the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) and the Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan (EPAA) and are supported by USAID.