According to a statement issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund said during the inauguration and commissioning ceremony of a standard laboratory for the quality assessment of food, medicines, and health products in Afghanistan’s southwestern zone, located in Herat, that from now on, food products, medicines, and health-related goods imported into Afghanistan from neighboring and other countries will be evaluated through this laboratory to verify their quality and compliance with established standards.
Mullah Baradar stated during the ceremony that the laboratory will play a significant role in preventing the import of low-quality, counterfeit, and substandard goods, while also ensuring the quality and reliability of products and manufactured goods.
The statement further noted that the laboratory will not be limited to assessing the quality of imported goods. It will also be responsible for certifying the quality of domestic products and supporting the expansion of exports, enabling Afghan products to compete with those of other countries and secure a trusted position in international markets.
According to the statement, advanced equipment worth approximately $5 million has been procured to strengthen the laboratory, significantly expanding its capacity to assess the quality of food products, medicines, and health-related goods.
The statement added that Mullah Baradar said Afghanistan has taken its first steps toward economic growth, and it is essential that products and services be provided in accordance with national and international standards. He also stressed that the established standards for imported goods must be fully observed.
He strongly urged traders not to import low-quality, substandard, or counterfeit goods that could endanger public health for the sake of personal profit. He emphasized that such goods will not be allowed into the country and will be rejected.
The statement also said that the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs called on domestic manufacturing companies and factories to give serious attention to improving the quality of their products.