The Economic Commission has directed the relevant agencies to control the quality of imported goods

Feb 20, 2022

The Economic Commission, headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, has directed relevant ministries and organizations to take effective measures to control the quality of food and medicine imported into Afghanistan.

This effort comes at a time when 90% of food and medicine imported into Afghanistan do not meet the standard. Mufti Hamed, director of the Afghanistan National Standard Authority (ANSA), said that most of the ingredients in these items contain substances that are harmful to the human body. "According to our tests and laboratories, the majority of the food and medicine imported into Afghanistan contain narcotics, harmful ingredients, and even glass particles in the composition of medicines," he added.

The Economic Commission, chaired by the First Deputy Prime Minister, also decided that in order to control the quality and prices of imported petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas, the state-owned Petroleum and Liquefied Gas Company, the relevant ministries, and the (ANSA) should set up a joint committee to ensure the quality of imported petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as well as control prices in the market.

According to the state-owned Petroleum and Liquefied Gas Company, most of the petroleum products and the LPG are imported by the private sector without following the standards, and leaving all losses to the people.

The Economic Commission also approved a proposal to convert transport unions into companies, which would add some revenue to the government.