The Herat Incubator Team recently took a trip to a local grocery store in Herat.  It was interesting to inspect the grocery store’s products and speak with the owner.  Quickly, it became apparent that most of the store’s goods were shipped in from Pakistan, Iran, or other neighboring countries.

The store owner opined that he would prefer to sell local Afghan products, but that the processing, packaging, and quality of products within Afghanistan were not sufficient.  He proceeded to open up two bags of off brand cheese puffs – one made in Iran, and the other made in Afghanistan.  We tasted both, and the Iranian ones were clearly better.

أفغانستان, and Herat in particular, needs access to better processing and packaging equipment.  Better access to this type of machinery will help local companies produce fresher, better looking, and higher quality products.  Packaging and processing food and other goods in Herat could result in lower priced food for locals and create additional jobs for the Afghan economy.

The Herat Incubator Team is very interested in meeting with companies that would like to establish their own packaging and processing plants in Afghanistan.  If you are such a company, and could use our consulting services, please contact us for additional information.