Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Chinese President: Beijing ready to develop cooperation with Syria and for joint defense of international justice amid instability.
Chinese President Xi Jinping while receiving his Syrian counterpart: China and Syria moving toward announcing strategic partnerships.
Algerian Foreign Minister: Africa's Sahel region has become a focal point for terrorist armies armed with the latest weapons, and in control of a large geographical region.
RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti): The Rapid Support Forces in Sudan are fully ready for a ceasefire and comprehensive political talks
Israeli media: Meetings between Saudi and Israeli officials took place in the past few days regarding peace between the two sides
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: A Palestinian was shot in occupied al-Quds under the pretext of carrying out a stabbing operation and wounding a security guard at the light rail station
Biden to announce air defense, no ATACMS missiles for Ukraine: White House
IRGC Commander in the Iranian Qom Province: A terrorist cell that possessed more than 400 explosive devices was dismantled and its members were arrested
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports a serious injury by Israeli occupation gunfire east of Gaza
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli tank targeted the vicinity of the Syrian town of Ain al-Tineh, facing the occupied Majdal Shams, with three shells, causing material damage

Afghanistan's economic boom: Fact or fiction?

  • F.M. ShakilF.M. Shakil
  • Source: Al Mayadeen English
  • 29 Jul 2023 23:47
  • 7 Shares

The export to the US is just the most recent claim in a long list of Taliban attempts to soften the country's image and divert attention away from pressing issues like human rights, women's empowerment, education, militancy, and extreme poverty.

  • Afghanistan's economic boom: Fact or fiction?

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for Afghanistan's interim government, tweeted last week that Afghanistan had sent a shipment of locally made non-alcoholic beverages to the United States. He revealed a plant in Herat sent the pomegranate soft drinks to the US and shared photos of the shipment on the microblogging site but provided a few other details on the Taliban's first non-traditional export to the US.

However, a representative from Pamir Cola Company, a facility that claimed to have transported non-alcoholic drinks to the US, told the reporters that 45 tons of pomegranate juice drinks had been shipped to the US in two containers. He further stated that the same substance was also shipped to countries, including Germany, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, and other Central Asian nations. Afghanistan's Ministry of Industries Spokesperson, Akhundzad Abdul Salam Javad, praised the development as a significant step forward for the industrialization of a region plagued by infighting among Afghan groups and the bloodbath perpetrated by US and NATO forces in the wake of 9/11.

Past claims

The export to the US is just the most recent claim in a long list of Taliban attempts to soften the country's image and divert attention away from pressing issues like human rights, women's empowerment, education, militancy, and extreme poverty.

Earlier in January this year, Zabihullah posted a video showcasing what he called Afghanistan's first supercar, which he said was manufactured by Afghan engineers in collaboration with the Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI). The indigenous Mada 9 automobile, which was displayed in Kabul, was believed to have utilized a modified 2000 Toyota Corolla engine. Nevertheless, the particular details and maximum velocity of the car have not been disclosed as yet. The automotive prototype, referred to as Mada 9, was meticulously constructed by Entop, a corporate entity, over five years. The development process involved the collaborative efforts of a group including 30 engineers and designers hailing from the esteemed ATVI.

"This particular vehicle stands apart from other global products of the same specification due to its origin in Afghanistan, a nation historically marked by conflicts, calamities, and suffering. Moreover, its appearance is distinct from any other entity because it is firm and lightweight," Ghulam Haidar Shuhamat, the head of ATVI, was quoted by the media as saying during its launch.

However, seven months on, this supercar has become history, and the Afghan automobile industry did not divulge further developments concerning production, modification, specification, and sale, which indicates that it was a publicity ploy by the Afghan rulers to give the impression that the Afghan economy is doing well even without the world’s support.

Fictional economic upswing

The Afghan government asserted multiple instances of a fictitious economic and industrial upturn, but the facts on the ground do not support these claims. The faltering economy, rising unemployment, escalating poverty, and the Taliban's inability to establish an inclusive government representing all social, linguistic, religious, and racial divides disprove grand claims.

It is evident that following the withdrawal of the United States in 2021, other nations declined to engage with the Taliban in Kabul, leading to the withholding of foreign subsidies and assistance. In December 2022, the situation experienced a further decline as the Taliban implemented a prohibition on Afghan women's employment within non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Last month, female personnel employed by the United Nations in Afghanistan were confronted with a distressing dilemma over the continuation of their assistance efforts. In a report released by the United Nations in April, it was asserted that a significant portion of the Afghan population, approximately 34 million individuals, is experiencing poverty and lacks access to sufficient resources. According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country's economy contracted by 20 to 30 percent within a single year after the Taliban came to power. In addition, during the period between October 2021 and January 2022, over one million Afghans sought refuge outside of their own country.

In contrast to the projections made by international agencies regarding the Afghan economy, the Afghan government's economic affairs department reported in March of this year that Afghan exports experienced a significant increase of 63%, reaching a total value of $1.9 billion. Notably, the main imports from various countries, such as China and Pakistan, were linen textiles, while the exports primarily comprised dry fruit and carpets.

Afghan-US bilateral trade

The US does not impose any restrictions on doing business with Afghanistan until a government of its choosing remains in power. Although the issuance of a new General License (GL) through the Office of the Treasury last year was primarily concerned with humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan, it also gave some impetus to bilateral trade relations between the two nations.

The purpose of the new license was to extend the range of permitted business and financial dealings in Afghanistan to include contact with the country's governing bodies. The GL's principal goal is to ensure that transactions and activities essential to delivering aid and satisfying the basic human needs of the Afghan population are not impeded or hindered by the application of US sanctions.

It seeks to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian supplies and commercial and financial operations in Afghanistan while at the same time restricting the resources available to the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and other actors. The GL will ensure that Afghanistan's commercial and financial operations will not be harmed by US sanctions.

The political climate in Afghanistan may be unstable, but it hasn't disrupted business between the US and Afghanistan so long as the US is in the driving seat. In 2021, when a puppet US-backed government was in power, the value of Afghan exports to the US was $21.2 million. Afghan exports included grapes ($1.88 million), precious stones ($2.07 million), and knotted carpets ($7.32 million). Dried fruit and nuts including almonds, walnuts, pistachios, herbal spices, and veggies including ginger, saffron, turmeric, thyme, and others were also exported to the US. Afghanistan's exports to the US have grown from $5.5 million in 1995 to $21.2 million in 2021, a growth rate of 5.32% per year.

The US also sent $224 million in exports to Afghanistan during this time. Aircraft ($103 million), rotorcraft ($11.4 million), and poultry meat ($10.7 million) make up the bulk of exports to Afghanistan. From $3.62 million in 1995 to $224 million in 2021, US exports to Afghanistan have grown at a yearly pace of 17.2 percent.

The opinions mentioned in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Al mayadeen, but rather express the opinion of its writer exclusively.
  • United States
  • Afghanistan
  • Taliban Spokesperson
  • Taliban
  • US
  • afghan captial
  • Taliban movement
  • Afghan women
F.M. Shakil

F.M. Shakil

Freelance Journalist

Most Read

All
The Smotrich-Ben-Gvir riposte seems to be working: Already, there is reportedly a rise in support for the Jewish Power party among the IOF’s rank and file, with an estimated 20% of IOF soldiers voting for Ben-Gvir’s party.

Netanyahu Coalition Goes Full Provocation -- As the US Escalates in Syria

  • Opinion
  • 9 Sep 2023
Old habits, linger … linger well past the time when old rituals (an Israeli PM visit to the Oval Office) had agency and the world hung on the outcome. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Arwa Makki)

Will a tripartite US-Saudi-Israeli ‘Deal’ make Any difference?

  • Opinion
  • 16 Sep 2023
A report card for Ukraine’s counteroffensive

A report card for Ukraine’s counteroffensive

  • Europe
  • 15 Sep 2023
Advancing on foot from Ukraine through Russian minefields to please Western financial institutions

Advancing on foot from Ukraine through Russian minefields to please Western financial institutions

  • Feature
  • 9 Sep 2023

Coverage

All
G77 Summit 2023

More from this writer

All
Cuba is set to steer the global south away from the US-backed exploitative global order

Cuba is set to steer the global south away from the US-backed...

If you're rolling in dough, Pakistan is your oyster

If you're rolling in dough, Pakistan is your oyster

The BRICS are soaring high, as the G7 is fading into the twilight

The BRICS is soaring high, as the G7 fades into the twilight

South Africa is treading on thin ice by getting under the skin of the US-led bloc

South Africa is treading on thin ice by getting under the...

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS