Buy Local Build Afganistan

Reinvigorating Afghan exports in products such as carpets and dried fruit has been a top priority for the USAID Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED) project. One of the primary activities in this effort has been to re-establish market linkages with the international community through participation in trade shows. In conjunction with a variety of national and international partners, ASMED has sponsored and organized the participation of Afghan traders in several of these events.

To view a gallery of pictures from each tradeshow, please click on the thumbnail.

CeBIT
Hanover, Germany
March 4-9, 2008
Afghanistan recently made its first appearance at CeBIT, the world's largest technology trade show. Afghan technology firms networked with international participants, learned about current industry trends, and shared information about their products with international firms. For more information, click here.

World Market Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
January 28-February 1, 2008
Six Afghan carpet producers attended the World Market Center home furnishings exhibition at the Las Vegas Market. They brought roughly 80 carpets and sold all of them by the end of the show. In addition, several of the producers signed contracts for future exports. For more information, click here.

Domotex
Hanover, Germany
January 12-15, 2008
Thirty carpet producers, including three women, participated in Domotex, a premiere carpet and flooring show featuring machine and hand-made carpets. Some of the traders sold all of their carpets before the show began, and all had sold their carpets by the end. For more information, click here.

Fashion Design Council of India
New Delhi, India
December 4, 2007
For the first time, two Afghan designers participated in a fashion show in India. With an overall theme of "Threads of Unity," this event provided an unique opportunity for the leading designers to display Afghanistan’s indigenous handicrafts and techniques. For more information, click here.

India International Trade Fair
New Delhi, India
November 14-27, 2007
Forty Afghan enterprises, drawn from the carpet, dried fruit, gemstones, and handicraft sectors, participated in the India International Trade Fair. The dried and fresh fruit producers were especially popular, and the demand for Afghan pomegranates exceeded supply. For more information, click here.

Afghanistan International Carpet Fair
Kabul, Afghanistan
August 27-30, 2007
Over 110 Afghan carpet producers from throughout the country exhibited their fine rugs at The First Afghanistan International Carpet Fair. Buyers were invited from over 50 countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, the United States, and those in Europe.