A new quality control laboratory for food, medicines and health products has been officially inaugurated in Herat, with officials saying the facility will strengthen the inspection and testing of imported products entering Afghanistan through the province’s border crossings.
The laboratory was inaugurated in a ceremony attended by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, several cabinet ministers, Herat Governor Noor Ahmad Islamjar, traders and private-sector investors.
The facility was built at a cost of approximately $4.9 million (320 million Afghanis), according to officials. Around $3 million (200 million Afghanis) of the total cost was spent on purchasing and installing laboratory equipment.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Baradar said the laboratory would play an important role in improving production standards and ensuring the quality of products supplied to domestic and international markets.
He said the facility would help prevent substandard and low-quality products from entering the market while providing businesses in Herat with access to testing and quality-control services.
The laboratory is expected to be particularly important for the inspection of imported food, medicines and health products entering Afghanistan through Herat’s customs facilities. Herat shares borders with Iran and Turkmenistan and serves as an important trade gateway between Afghanistan and regional markets.
Officials said imported food, medicines and health-related products entering the country through Herat’s border crossings will undergo systematic testing and quality assessments at the new facility. The move is intended to help prevent low-quality and non-standard goods from reaching consumers.
Before the establishment of the laboratory, traders and manufacturers in Herat were required to travel to Kabul for some quality-control tests and laboratory assessments. Officials said the new facility will reduce the need for such travel and make testing services more accessible to businesses across western Afghanistan.
The laboratory will also allow domestic manufacturers to test their products locally and improve compliance with quality standards required for both domestic markets and exports.
Officials say the facility is expected to contribute to improving consumer safety, strengthening product quality standards and supporting trade through Herat’s strategic border crossings.
