Address:
- Street # 5 of Syloo, House # 152-153, District 3, Kabul, Afghanistan
- info.afg@dca-af.org
- Sun - Thu: 8.00 AM to 4.00 PM
Inauguration Speech: Cashmere and Wool Stop Shop Keepers Experience Sharing Conference
Inauguration Speech: Cashmere and Wool Stop Shop Keepers Experience Sharing Conference
By Chalachew N. Agonafir and Dr. Abdul Qadir Fakhri
Your excellencies, ladies and gentle men, As-salamu alaykum,
Thank you so much for joining us on this conference that critically addresses the progress of the wool and cashmere stop shop project, experience sharing and lessons.
The livestock is an important livelihoods and prestigious asset serving more than 80% of the population in Afghanistan. The sector needs to gain traction with all actors as it’s the main source of food, livelihoods and income at the grassroots level.
When we think of the livestock sector, we should clearly set a strong consensus on:
l Quality livestock production and productivity
l Sustainable access to inputs supply and services – health, safety, feed, husbandry and welfare
l The market systems development – value addition, sales and proper regulatory system and
l A better policy.
Fig 1: Opening speech
The stop-shop project on wool and cashmere is implemented by DCA in 18 provinces in the last 8 months with an excellent success and lessons. The project benefited 235 stop shops and 14,100 herder HHs (100,345 individuals) in making sure that cashmere and wool are collected properly and sold to the nearby stop-shop keepers that link the herders with traders that export the products. Most importantly, the project targets a better branding of cashmere and wool that potentially increases income to the herders. The lessons have also been explored and will be used to scale up the project moving forward.
This conference will address sharing of best practices from the field on stop-shop keepers and herders. The agenda of the conference is already shared with all of you. Excellencies from director of agriculture, director of trade and industry, director of economy and representatives of the donor are expected to make speeches and share their inputs. Following this, project achievements and key areas of focus, the process of utilization of KOBO, the challenges/actions/solutions, lessons learned and open discussions will take place. We are very happy to hear opinions, ideas and experiences at the time of the open discussions which will be used as part of the lesson.
DCA has been active in Afghanistan since 1988 implementing different projects on animal health, extension and livestock value chain development that contribute in improving food security and income for herders. Our training centers have trained more than 1,000 paravets, most of which are serving the communities in their VFUs.
All livestock and livestock products including cashmere, wool, karakul, dairy, meat, skin and live animals need to be strengthened to promote and transform the sector. We at DCA would appreciate all the herders, the private sector, informal institutions, non-profit organizations, donors and policy makers to work hand-in-hand thereby improving the food security, livelihoods and income of the 80% of the communities and the country at large.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all government agencies that supported our work and helped us; funding agencies that trusted our work and donate; the private sector including VFUs, customary institutions and herders. Thank you so much once again and with this, the conference is officially inaugurated!
Thank you!
