PESHAWAR, June 6: Exports to Afghanistan have registered growth during the current financial year in the wake of recently undertaken rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the war-torn country.

Addressing to the members of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here on Wednesday, minister of state and chairman Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Tariq Ikram said that $91 million exports to Afghanistan during the current financial year had recorded encouraging improvement in comparison with the last financial year.

However, while addressing a function at the Gems and Gemological Institute here on Wednesday, Tariq Ikram said the country was not likely to achieve the export target set for the current financial year due to the recessionary trends in the wake of the post-Sept 11 situation.

“Under the current circumstances, it would be more than enough, if the country manages to touch the figure of exports recorded during the last financial year,” said Tariq Ikram.

The EPB chairman told SCCI members that the country would experience much more improvement in its exports to Afghanistan in the time to come.

“Pakistan stands greater chances in Afghanistan,” said the minister while urging the trade and business community of NWFP to get prepared for meeting the challenge arising out of greater business opportunities in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan.

He said that a display centre would be established at Peshawar where items consumed in Afghanistan would be displayed to facilitate the local traders.

Similarly, the EPB was also in the process of establishing a warehouse at Torkham, on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, to facilitate importers from Afghanistan.

At the warehouse, he added, items and construction material required in Afghanistan for reconstruction and rehabilitation purposes would be made available.

He said Islamabad’s move of lifting restrictions on trade through land route from NWFP to Afghanistan and onward to Central Asian Republics also brought with it greater opportunities for the NWFP-based trade and business circles to capture new markets.

However, Tariq Ikram said that apart from creating opportunities for genuine traders and businessmen the government was also cognizant of the fact that facilities being extended under the Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) were being misused. “But this could not be allowed,” said the minister while disclosing that the government was introducing a comprehensive and fool proof system to avoid the misuse of ATT by applying greater checks and balances.

Goods meant for Afghanistan, said the minister of state, would carry the inscribed words of “only for Afghanistan”.