| Afghanistan to Benefit from Zero Import Duty by February
21 January 2008: Kabul Afghanistan’s economic engagement with India will receive a major boost from February when it becomes the eighth member of SAFTA in February 2008. Talking to Afghanistan Times, Walid Tamin Director of Investment Promotion Department of Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) said that as a member of SAFTA, Afghanistan will receive the benefit of zero import duty by India on 4,536 tariff lines. He said currently under the preferential trade arrangement with Afghanistan, the rules of origin stipulate 50 per cent domestic value addition for exports within South Asian region. Once Afghanistan comes under SAFTA fold, this would come down to 30 per cent, he said. “ This would mark a significant step forward for the Afghan economy and help boost exports to India,” he added. He noted that India would undertake a review of the 744 items in the sensitive list of export, largely in the areas of agriculture and textiles. Source: Afghanistan Times
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