The Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) is planning to explore the pharmaceutical export opportunities in Afghanistan and is expected to send a business delegation to the war torn country during the first quarter of 2015 next year.

According to Raghuveer Kini, executive director of Pharmexcil, Afghanistan has a huge market to explore. As the country is slowly progressing towards peace and concentrating on reconstruction, the demand for healthcare is growing. “As per the inputs from our embassy in Kabul, several medical associations in Afghanistan have come under one umbrella and looking to develop business opportunities with the Indian pharmaceutical industry. Taking this as an opportunity, Pharmaexcil has proposed to mount a business delegation during January or February next year,” said Kini.

At present there are several associations in Afghanistan that have come under one umbrella and looking to build new business relations with Indian Industry. In a communication to the council, the Indian embassy in Kabul has recommended the export council to send a business delegation and explore the new export opportunities in the country. The associations that are representing Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical and medical supplies sector include Medicines Importers Association, Medicines Manufacturers Association, Wholesalers Association, Retailers Association and Medical equipment association.

This apart, the associations from Kabul and six regional zones of Nangarhar, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, Herat, Paktia and Kunduz have been brought together under the umbrella of the ANMSO in the country.

ANMSO is the singular voice actively representing the interests and concerns of its members to the Ministry of Public Health and international partners to properly regulate the pharmaceutical sector for quality assurance.

As the Indian generic medicines are world famous both in quality and affordability, the umbrella body and regulators of Afghanistan are keen towards Indian pharmaceutical products and have requested the mission to organize business networking event in Kabul and India.

In view of this, Pharmexcil is taking it as a great opportunity to explore the war torn country and extend a hand towards building Afghanistan’s healthcare sector. As a part of building further relations with the country’s trading partners, the council has proposed to take a high-powered pharma delegation in 2015.