The Dry Ports Establishment Committee Meets

H.E. Prof. Mohammad Homayoun Qayumi, Acting Minister of Finance and Chief Advisor on Infrastructure to H.E. the President, chairs the committee on the establishment of dry ports.

Members of the committee from National Defense, Interior Affairs, Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, and Public Health ministries, and Railway Authority, Independent Directorate of Local Governance administrations shared their views on the establishment of dry ports in specific land border of the country.

H.E. Minister Qayumi briefed the committee on the importance of establishing dry ports for the economic growth and its role in facilitating and standardizing the import, export, and transit of commodities to, from, and through Afghanistan. He specifically talked about the importance of dry standard dry ports at Aqina (Faryab province), Nayeb Abad (Balkh province), and Zaranj (Nimroz province) because of their locations and important role in strategic projects such as Lapis Lazuli Corridor, Chabahar port, and the railway facility.

Acting Minister of Finance instructed the Directorate General of Customs to work with the National Procurement Authority of Afghanistan for attracting international companies and firms in helping Afghanistan establish its dry ports through a general Letter of Interest. Once interested companies and firms identified, the committee will decide on partner firms, exact locations, and the working mechanism for the dry ports establishment.