Development potential of footwear and textiles highlighted for Afghanistan
The potential for clothing, footwear and textiles to help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan’s shattered economy has been highlighted at a two-day conference in Tokyo.
Speaking at the conference on Friday, Gary Dempsey, a foreign policy analyst with the US public policy research foundation, The Cato Institute, said the key to rebuilding the Afghan economy was trade not aid.
"Right now the United States imposes its highest trade barriers on exports that are most important to poor countries, such as clothing, footwear and textiles," said Dempsey. "Studies show that developing countries would capture around 75 percent of the expected economic benefits from liberalising trade in the light-manufacturing sector. In other words, Washington could deliver far more important and long-lasting aid to poor countries like Afghanistan by allowing them to sell their products duty-free in the US market."
