Afghanistan and Regional Trade: More, or Less, Imports from Central Asia?

Since 2002 one main focus of the international donor organizations active in Afghanistan has been to address the necessity for closer trade ties between Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. The research sought to establish whether products from Central Asia, including those originating in Russia, meet the expectations of Afghan importers and if so, whether Afghan importers would be willing to switch to Central Asian suppliers for higher quality, healthier and safer products. The research finds that under certain conditions there is a reasonable possibility that Afghan importers would switch from their current suppliers to Central Asian suppliers.