RASC News Agency: Afghanistani women entrepreneurs have raised concerns that the domestic market for handicrafts is virtually non-existent. At an exhibition titled “Afghanistan’s Economic Development and Success,” which featured 400 booths over four days to showcase domestic products and handicrafts, 150 booths were specifically allocated for women.
Many women entrepreneurs from across Afghanistan participated in the event, displaying their handcrafted products. However, female traders and artisans from Parwan and Balkh provinces expressed frustration, noting that their handicrafts struggle to find a market within the country. They attribute this to insufficient public awareness. These entrepreneurs have called on international organizations to assist in marketing their handicrafts abroad.
A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RASC News, “These women assert that the market for handicrafts in Afghanistan has not developed. Some even mentioned that the Afghanistani public lacks adequate information about the country’s handicrafts; there has been little effort to inform the public and generate interest, which is crucial for market development. People have grown accustomed to imported goods.”
The women emphasized that the sales of handicrafts remain minimal. In addition to the lack of public awareness, poverty and unemployment have stifled the domestic market for handmade products. The pervasive poverty and joblessness have prevented handicrafts, like other goods, from finding a viable market. This situation has been further exacerbated by the increase in poverty and unemployment following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. Many people have fled Afghanistan in search of a livelihood abroad, while others remain at home, struggling to secure even a single meal.
According to reports from human rights and food security organizations, half of Afghanistan’s population now lives in poverty.
