[Text/Observer Network columnist Ali Faiz]
Hi everyone, my name is Ali Faiz and I'm from Afghanistan. This year is my third time participating in the Expo, and compared to the first time I attended the Expo in 2020, my booth area has become larger, and I have brought more Afghan agricultural products and handicrafts.
This time, I brought products such as handmade wool carpets, pine nuts and handmade gemstone plates from Afghanistan to the Expo. In October, I transported 107 tons of pine nuts from Afghanistan to China through the China-Pakistan Economic Air Corridor. Afghanistan is an agricultural country, pine nuts are our specialty and one of the economic sources of Afghan farmers, thanks to the fast speed of CPEC and the Expo platform, I was able to bring these products to Chinese guests.
In the past two years, the trade volume of Afghan pine nuts has risen from the previous $10 million to $50 million, which may not change much for China, but it has changed very much for Afghanistan.
I have been in China for more than nine years, every day I can see the rapid development of China, China is now the trade center of the world, many of my friends are asking what is the best way to sell their products to China, because the Chinese market is very strong and open, I told them that this platform is the Expo.
Coming to China CIIE, I saw that the Chinese market is very welcoming to us, and Chinese friends are also very warm. I am also very happy to have access to the biggest and best market in the world, because China is very mature in terms of trade platforms, payments, channels, etc.
The Chinese market and the platform of CIIE also provide me with a lot of opportunities and resources, through the platform, I can not only promote the specialties of my hometown to Chinese customers, but also have the opportunity to promote to customers in other countries, because many peers come from all over the world to participate in the Expo.
The services provided by the Expo are also very good, constantly simplifying the process of exhibitors, making it easy for us to enter, even if the number of customers is slightly less due to the epidemic, but the Expo will help our business very much, the number of orders is increasing, it can be estimated that this year's revenue is much better than before.
The item I brought this time is an Afghan handmade wool carpet. Many people only know Persian carpets, Arabic carpets, in fact, the quality of Afghan carpets is not inferior to other kinds of carpets. Due to the cold shade of the mountains of Afghanistan, the wool fibers of lamb wool that grow there are soft and slender. Afghan carpets are made of this fine breed of lamb's wool from 8 to 14 months old, which also has a very delicate and smooth feel and a beautiful luster.
Afghan carpets still maintain the traditional skills of pure hand-making, making a carpet is often a family unit, 3-4 people weave a small blanket, 6-8 people weave a relatively large blanket, it takes a few months to half a year. Compared to industrially made carpets for everyday necessities, handmade Afghan carpets are actually closer to handicrafts.
In order to meet the needs of the Chinese market, I also customized a handmade carpet with Chinese elements such as Double Dragon Pearl and Xiangyun, and I received an order for 2,000 carpets at this Expo, which means that it has brought income to more than 2,000 families in Afghanistan.
The first time I participated in the Expo in 2020, when I visited the exhibition, I found that the local gemstones in Afghanistan are exported by companies from other countries, and I realized that the sales channels of Afghan goods are not smooth enough, and if Afghan goods can be directly connected with the Chinese market, both sides can profit from it. Through the Expo, I realized that what I am doing is not only a business, but also to build a bridge to connect the two peoples and deepen mutual understanding, and become a mutually beneficial bond between Argentina and China.
For this exhibition, I also brought with me a special Afghan gem plate, which is made of many beautiful ores, a craft that has been passed down for thousands of years. Previously, there were only three gemstone plate factories in Afghanistan, but two closed down during the pandemic, leaving only one with 200 employees and now only two.
Due to the political turmoil in Afghanistan in recent years and the impact of the epidemic, international trade has been greatly affected, many enterprises are on the verge of bankruptcy, and the survival of some craftsmen is not optimistic. I collected all their inventory, and whether this traditional craft can be passed on may be seen in the Expo. In addition to handmade wool carpets, I also brought high-quality products such as pomegranates, saffron, wood products, leather goods, lapis lazuli and other high-quality products from Afghanistan, hoping to introduce the beautiful Afghanistan to Chinese friends.
In addition, I founded my own business brand "BIRARO". In the Afghan language, this means "brother", which means that the people of China and Afghanistan are like brothers, through the Expo platform, mutual understanding, friendship and mutual benefit.
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