Rural Women and Marketing

 Written by: Hasamuddin Hamdard

Afghan women in some families are busy making stone jewelries and preparing food items such as pickles and jams to improve their economy. Some of them have problems in selling products, but some others have solved this problem.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to two women about this issue.

One of them is Wahida Shirzad, a resident of Kabul city. Ms. Shirzad talks about her business, “I was at home and had no job. Once I saw some women were making stone jewelry and I also got interested. I started to make ornaments from precious stones.

I make earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and other ornaments. In the beginning, I was facing problems in selling the products due to having problems in communication and marketing but later I learned from others how to find the market for my products and Later I showed my products in an exhibition held in Kabul city. The visitors liked my products and they bought them. And now I have more customers.

The price of each item differs from the other. I get 200-500 Afghanis benefit from each piece of ornament.”

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to Florans Ahmadi, a resident of Shakardara district, Kabul province.

Ms. Florans says about her business, “I prepare pickles, tomato paste, and jam at home and then sell them in the market. In the beginning, I could not sell my products because I was not able to find a market for them and customers had no trust in my products.

Later I wanted my husband to help me in solving this issue and he accepted and now he finds the market and sells the products in the district market and individual shops. I buy vegetables and fresh fruits for preparing pickles and jam from the villagers and our economy is better than before.”