Orange Blossom Perfume

   Written by: Aqsa Sediqi

Afghanistan is one of the countries which imports most raw materials from abroad but recently some factory owners have started to get the benefit of local raw material in their production.

The writer/producer AEPO has talked to Mr. Abdullah Arsala, who has a perfume factory in Nangarhar Province.

Arsala says:

I have made a factory of producing the perfume of orange blossoms, roses, and some other flowers. 1500 farmers grow roses in 1500 Jerib land. We pay about Afs.124000 to each farmer annually.

In orange blossom section: we pay 100 Afghanis to each worker for collecting per kilogram orange blossoms and each worker could collect up to 15 kgs. orange blossoms. We also pay 5000 Afghanis for each gardener; 10000 Afghanis per every 100 orange trees to the owner of the garden and we collect about 3 tons orange blossoms per day.

We export 90% of our productions to France, Canada, and Germany.

How could we find a market for our products?

Nadia Sadat is the director of a clothing complex in Badakhshan province. She says to the writer/producer AEPO:

We started our work from tailoring and then we invited some organizations and they visited our complex and supported us. We added knitting and cooking sections too. We have hired 21 workers.

At tailoring section, we prepare women dresses, shirts, suits and Afghani dresses.

At knitting section, we knit jackets, shawls, foot wares, mobile phone and vase covers and other ornaments.

Usually, I take some samples to Kabul and show them to some shops owners and take orders from them.

We have a showroom in our complex and sale shop in women’s garden in Faiz Abad, the center of Badakhshan province.

At the end of autumn, we produce chutney, jam, and a special Badakhshi Halwa.