During the years of war and instability in Afghanistan, many carpet weavers and traders relocated to Pakistan.  Now, USAID’s Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED) project is helping these carpet weavers and traders move their businesses back to Afghanistan.  Through a grant to the Eastern Region Carpet Exporter Guild, ASMED provided financial support for transportation costs, temporary storage, and the refurbishment of a new Jalalabad Carpet Bazaar to ease the carpet producers’ transition.  As an additional incentive to move to Jalalabad, ASMED will provide the guild office with furniture, transportation, a comprehensive business-to-business website, business management and advisory services, and international marketing support. 

The new bazaar celebrated its grand opening on March 25.  The Governor and Deputy Governor of Nangarhar Province; Deputy Minister of Commerce; head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and representatives from the Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan, parliament, the provincial council, and the Carpet Exporter Guild attended the opening event.  The bazaar, a modern, secure, and centrally located market, exclusively devoted to the sale of Afghan carpets with room for 180 small and medium businesses, should greatly increase sales throughout the area.