Balkh Traders Sign Drug Import Deals With Uzbek Companies

Officials from the Balkh Pharmaceutical Wholesalers Association say they have signed agreements worth $5 million with relevant companies in Uzbekistan to help meet Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical needs.

Representatives of the association, who traveled to Uzbekistan as part of a delegation that included 40 traders, said the agreements could meet between 20% and 50% of Afghanistan’s demand for medicines.

Mohammad Sadiq Mohammadi, head of the Balkh Pharmaceutical Wholesalers Association, said: “We visited many factories. Their facilities met appropriate standards and requirements and also had export capacity. We signed agreements with them worth $5 million.”

A number of pharmaceutical producers and importers in Balkh emphasized the importance of supporting and expanding domestic production. They said medicines produced in Uzbekistan meet international standards and could play an important role in addressing Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical needs.

Drug importer Ahmad Jawad Bakhtari said: “We signed agreements with companies that meet GMP and CUP standards. God willing, they will meet around 20% to 50% of the country’s pharmaceutical needs.”

Mohammad Nasim Ayubi, a representative of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, said: “We should be granted permission to produce compound medicines so that we can better meet the needs of our society.”

Economic analysts also stress the importance of utilizing domestic production capacity. At the same time, they view expanding trade relations with Central Asian countries as an important alternative for meeting national demand and strengthening regional trade.

Economic analyst Qutbuddin Yaqubi said: “Greater attention should be given to production capacities inside Afghanistan. If these capacities cannot meet the country’s needs, cooperation and imports from alternative countries such as Turkey, India, Bangladesh, European countries, and Central Asian states should be expanded.”

Earlier, the Ministry of Public Health announced that a delegation from its Food and Drug Deputy Ministry had held talks with officials from Uzbekistan’s regulatory authority for the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

According to the ministry, both sides emphasized expanding cooperation in pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, facilitating the medicine registration process, implementing standards, and increasing pharmaceutical trade between the two countries.