Subscribe
MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan - The Inland Customs Department in Hairaten, Afghanistan is scheduled to open for business Dec. 18 to better meet the needs of individuals crossing the border from Uzbekistan into Afghanistan to sell their goods.
Originally, merchants had to make an extra trip to Mazar-e-Sharif solely to process through customs before moving their wares to market places throughout the country. The new customs building is located closer to the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, and is one kilometer away from a railway.
“It provides a more economical venue to import and export goods,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Lee Roupe, IJC Lead for Stability Operations for Regional Commands North and West. “It’s cheaper to ship goods by train than it is by truck. More bulk can be shipped at the same time; that alone is driving revenue, which spurs other opportunities in the local area.”
The new building was constructed with assistance from USAID, and employs more than 100 local Afghans. USAID had built another customs building in 2003, but the building was too small and needed substantial work.
“Not only does this project provide economic development, it provides infrastructure development and job opportunities for local Afghans,” said Roupe. “It’s just the beginning. It’s a toe into the Afghan’s ability to get world trade, trying to get the Afghan name into the world economy.”
| Date Taken: | 12.06.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2010 23:49 |
| Story ID: | 61601 |
| Location: | MAZAR-E-SHARIF, AF |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Customs facility assists trade, by SSG Michael Reinsch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
