Khost Economic Growth Problem
Investigated report
By Bakhti Gul Mushtaq
The wealthy have a good chance for investment in Khost, but the government lack of attention barren most lands, trade is going on a cultural rules and product sectors are paralyzed.
According to a report released by the ministry of urban development, Khost has a rainy climate, include five main farms, having 1306 Hector agricultural land, which some of unproductive and some of it haven't good yield.
Assistant of agriculture deportment Eng. Abdul Majeed Moneeb said: ((our deportment has more than 65 thousands of Jiribs (a unit of area equal to 2000 m2) agricultural land in Khost province.))
He says that their deportment doesn’t have any possibilities.
If government give them improvement seeds, tractors, machines and make water dams, or other relief agencies support them, their economy will be increase.
Moneeb said: they got $ 49691 earnings from their gardens and newly planted saplings in the last year 2006.
He thought if their mentioned problems are being solved they will get millions of dollars from their lands.
(However World Bank announced to help 30 millions of USD with Afghanistan only for lands saturating.)
Chairman of economy Aied Mar Jan Samoon has the same idea: ((Preparation of unproductive lands for agriculture has positive effects on Khost economy.))
He pointed to that water, which this time sparing from lands saturating, in his opinion to make dams for water storing which is used at the time of needed.
If we thought to the Khost economy development, in addition agricultural lands, municipality earnings, costume, business, transports, forests and minerals are also good incoming sources for Khost economy.
Khost mayor Sahee Mirullah Amiree said: ((we got $ 400000 from municipality landed property in the last six months of 2006.))
Khost province has a transit road extended to Pakistan. It’s saved around 365 kilometers shortens than the other provinces extending roads of the country to connect Kabul with Karachi border.
Which 238 kilometer far from Kabul.
But the nonexistent of Airfield, electricity, asphalted roads, product sectors, industrial parks and transited way are problems.
National trader Nawab Amir Zai says: ((making of business markets, product companies, cars parking, portion of private sector, providing export and import facilities and preparing good condition for traders are useful for all of the country.))
He added that national traders and wealthy people are faced with difficulty in the last three decades of war. He said traders don’t have any trust in government and is responsible of trader’s assurance.
transition of the way between Khost and Pakistan have 20 % discount in the importing goods, materials coming without formatting and also has saving time and oil.
Khost merchants and shopkeeper association director Kiramat Khan says that Pakistani authority's ready to open the way as transit, but Afghan government didn’t make costume buildings… in the border yet.
He added that government promised with Khost people to make the industrial parks, but without electricity industrial parks don’t have interest.
Report says that, only painting and ice factories are the famous private project in Khost province.
Currently over 150 NGOs are active in Khost, 64 car show rooms, 19 gas and 126 oil stations, tow branches Azizi and Kabul bank, Roshan, Ariba, Afghan wareless (AWCC) and Afghan telecom are the active phone companies.
UNHCR, WHO, CARE, IMC, IOM, HNI, IRC, ICMC, USAID and DAI are the present international NGOs in Khost.
Assistant of urban development ministry Qiamu deen Khwaja Zada has been spoke when he got to Khost during March 2007.
((The reason of our getting Khost is making a developmental planning from 2007 to 2011.))
He said in this plan with other development works preparing good facilities for wealthy and traders are their responsibility to invest.
During a recent visit to Khost on 17/Jan/2007 President Hamid Karzai announced that new economic project would be built in this province.
He announced to make Airfield, industrial parks, electricity, opening transit way and asphalting of the roads between Khost and Gardiz are his visiting goals.
However government filed to fulfill their promise of the road constriction. They had appointed of the April month for the ribbon cutting of the road between Khost and Gardiz.
Provincial councils assistant Taj Ali Sabir says that many often they requested for electricity, industrial parks, roads asphalting and other constructions and reconstruction project form the higher authorities, which is only finished in the face of papers, but it doesn’t have any practical work.
But in an exclusive interview with Paiwaston Magazin, Khost governor Arsala Jamal said, that the primary stages of industrial parks are completed.
He added the ministry of commerce has planed to spend 12 millions of dollars on the mention parks and also He told that the way is ready to open as transit, just they looking for the Pakistani authorities order.
Due to the researches of NSP, UNICEF, Swedish committee in Afghanistan has issued the censuses of over one million figures in Khost province.
Almost 200 thousands people from Khost are living abroad, many of them in Arabic countries working as labor which, helps the economy situation rising in Khost province.
For instance if we predict monthly 200 dollars for every person, the total incoming amount of 200 thousand per an year is $ 480,000,000 USD.
Therefore Azizi Bank manager Abdul Samad Jalaly said:
((Private sectors in Khost are better then the other provinces.))
He added this is very primary business which is going in Khost, because trad has a cultural rule, Shopkeepers importing merchandise as cultural method from Pakistan.
He says Khost is a strategic door for all of the country; it is shortened point of country to connect Kabul with Karachi border.
That, how many goods importing from Pakistan?
Khost custom tourist monitoring responsible Ajab Khan Ahmadzai says this year they had developed than 2005.
He said they have 60.5 million dollars improvement, which total incoming amount is $ 2,727,121 in 2006.
He added 25 to 30 trucks foods and other goods importing from Pakistan which, every truck loaded about 30 tans.
He said Khost custom doesn’t have libratory and scale to investigate narcotics and other risky material.….
Khost province is having various kinds of mines, metals and precious of stones which, doesn’t have passable research and monitoring, all mines going out side the country as smuggling.
Director of mine and industries Engineer Layeq Mohammad says: ((if government get possible benefits from Khost mines, its make good investment for Afghanistan.))
He added that khost has beside lime, eye slave charcoal, chromate and other expensive stones which government not able to tack action, mines…. going out side the country in illegal rules.
Khost is one of the southeast province of Afghanistan which covers a piece of 4029 square kilometers and having a longer of 184 jointed borders with Pakistan.
Khost has good farmlands, growing every kind of plants and trees. This province changed from big district to a province in 1985.
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