PROGRESS IN A PANDEMIC: JAMSHID RAMIN

In the competitive world of export marketing, access to technology is everything. 

Overseas buyers set a high bar for clean, well-sorted fruits. While many Afghan exporters practice traditional methods of hand-sorting and processing, those with state-of-the-art machinery have a competitive edge that can open doors to sophisticated markets.

Roots of Peace made machinery grants a priority during the final years of its USAID-funded Commercial Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing Program (CHAMP). These grants provided more than $4 million in cold storage and processing machinery for Afghan exporters (including three firms owned by women).

One of them was Jamshid Trading Co., a family-owned business located in the northern city of Mazar-i Sharif. Since 1985, the company has built a reputation for high quality dried fruit and nuts, with buyers as far afield as Russia and the U.S.

For even a successful company like Jamshid Ramin, obtaining the latest laser-sorting machinery can prove financially challenging. But with support from CHAMP, the company recently installed a $400,000 fully automated raisin sorter that will ensure a steady supply of quality raisins free of stems and other debris for its growing portfolio of international customers.

“Since installing the new laser sorter, the quality of our raisins has improved dramatically, and we no longer experience complaints from our customers," said Farhad Hoshmand, Vice President of Jamshid Ramin.

Hoshmand notes that while his company is not entirely immune to the effects of COVID-19, the new machinery has provided an economic bulwark that will enable them to deploy their product more quickly and effectively once the markets are open. 

"Because of the pandemic, our production is down by 60%," he said. "But once the restrictions are lifted, our plant will be operating at maximum capacity again.”