Ensuring Quality Control and Value Monitoring of Goods

By: Fazal Wali Sherani

Translated by: Sajad Ahmad Khetab

Introduction

The basic necessities of human life, such as food, medicine, and fuel, play a crucial role in ensuring human health. Governments and professionals are responsible for providing these essential items to society. Poor quality or contaminated food, medicine, or fuel can lead to severe health issues and can leave long-lasting effects on society. Therefore, it is crucial to regulate the quality of these products and to ensure that they adhere to specific standards and laws. Quality control measures must be implemented regularly to identify non-compliance with production standards and to protect society from potential physical, chemical, and biological hazards. The development of testing laboratories for all domestic production, imported goods, and goods for export in the country is a vital requirement to control the quality of production and to facilitate trade, national economic growth, and access to national and international markets. The Islamic Emirate has taken swift action to establish laboratories in major cities and ports across the country for the aforementioned purposes. Plans are also in place to restore the already-existing facilities where necessary, to prevent the entry of poor-quality products into the country. Therefore, ensuring quality control and standardization of goods is an essential requirement.

The need for quality control and standardization of goods

Standardization is crucial for economic growth in developing countries. Standards play a pivotal role in promoting commercial viability and protecting consumers, the environment, and society as a whole. Quality control and standardization are fundamental to regional and global trade development, as they eliminate technical obstacles to trade and ease market access for goods. After a war, the trade balance disruption constitutes the primary impediment to the economic development of developing nations, forcing them to import goods from abroad. This provides an opportunity for low-quality materials to flood the market, endangering both people's health and the environment. Standardizing goods quality is, therefore, vital for a country's economic growth and business development. This will not only protect people's health and the environment but will also allow products that meet standards to access international markets. The Islamic Emirate has made significant strides in this direction, strictly controlling the quality of imported goods and only bringing necessary goods of good quality into the country.

Actions taken by the Islamic Emirate in terms of product quality

The Islamic Emirate aims to revive the weak economy of Afghanistan and transform it into an exporting nation by implementing necessary measures. To achieve this, quality control of imported goods is a crucial aspect that must be addressed. The Economic Commission, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, has decided that the committee headed by the State Oil and Gas Company, and comprised of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and the National Standards Authority will manage petroleum products and liquefied gas. The Commission has also stipulated that the importers of low-quality goods, oil, or gas that fail to meet the standards of the National Standards Authority will have their licenses revoked and face legal consequences. The National Standards Authority is responsible for ensuring that all imported goods meet the required standards. This organization operates in various sectors, such as quality management systems, construction codes for petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, construction materials, food, metrology, environment, electronic technology and communication, textile and leather, chemicals, and plastics. The Authority's tasks include enacting laws and regulations, constructing laboratories, and ensuring that the established laboratories are operational. The National Standards Authority has made significant progress in performing its duties, as indicated in its annual report for the year 1401. The Authority has finalized 98 standards in various fields, such as quality management, food, and agricultural products, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, construction and petroleum materials, textiles and leather, environmental protection, chemical and plastic products, and communications. The National Standards Authority has restarted the quality control process in the center and ports and provided services in a transparent manner. Petroleum laboratories have been re-activated in six ports (Hai’ratan, Islam Qala, Thor Ghwandai, Nimruz, Farah and Aqina). Since the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate, 48,602 tankers of petroleum, liquid gas, and their derivatives have been imported into the country, of which 460 tankers failed to meet the quality assurance standard and have been reported to relevant agencies. Additionally, the Authority evaluates the quality of construction materials imported into the country. The National Standards Authority has also collected revenue of 916 million 557 thousand 377 Afghanis from the quality assurance process of petroleum and construction materials in the center and ports of the country. The Authority has destroyed 3570 kg of low-quality and outdated food items, laundry items, and non-alcoholic beverages. It is also responsible for fixing the fuel consumption norms of vehicles, machinery, power generation machines, and heating devices at the country level, and has made significant progress in this area. The Authority is a member of various international and regional organizations, such as the International Organization for Standardization, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Commission for Accreditation of Laboratories, the Organization of Islamic Standards and Metrology Institutes, and the Regional Standards Organization for South Asia. The National Standards Authority has prepared procedures in various fields, such as coal, construction materials, textiles, carpets, and electricity, which will be submitted to the Supreme Economic Council for approval. The organization has developed a set of additional procedures, which will undergo a final review by the Economic Commission for approval. To enhance the oversight of quality control for both domestically produced and imported goods, they have established a working model plan for the National Standards Authority. The administration has drafted a strategic plan and submitted it to the Economic Commission for consideration. Furthermore, the agency aims to issue quality certificates for products and management systems, with the objective of enhancing the value of Afghan products in global markets. They have also devised various other plans to ensure that Afghanistan's products meet international quality standards and can be effectively presented in international markets.

Conclusion

The quality of essential goods significantly impacts human health, encompassing items such as food, medicine, and fuel. Governments and experts hold a crucial responsibility in providing high-quality provisions to society, necessitating great attention. When goods meet quality standards and exhibit good quality, they become valuable assets to society, benefiting individuals and the community at large. Standards play a vital role in economic development, commercial viability, and safeguarding customers, the environment, and society. Trade development, both regionally and globally, relies on quality control and standardization, addressing technical trade issues and facilitating market access for goods. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, through the National Standards Authority, diligently monitors the quality of goods essential to the Afghan population, aiming to prevent the presence of low-quality or substandard products in the market. Particularly, strict control over imported goods by the National Standards Authority holds significant importance. The National Standards Authority carries out its duties and powers diligently, leading to noticeable progress in its endeavors. Such progress paves the way for Afghan goods and products to gain prominence in international markets, thereby reducing the dependence on poor-quality imports. Consequently, this will not only enhance our trade volume but also boost our exports. Additionally, our fellow countrymen will be spared the health issues arising from subpar products.