A five-day Afghan Lajward (lapis lazuli) Exhibition of domestically manufactured goods attracted over 20,000 visitors and saw the signing of dozens of contracts by business owners with traders and investors from surrounding provinces.

Hamidullah Khadim, the provincial head of the Chamber of Industrial and Mine of Herat, said the exhibition supported domestic products.

There were 300 booths available during the exhibition to showcase domestic goods, with 100 booths set up for female exhibitors and 200 booths for male exhibitors.

Among the 300 booths, 120 of them belonged to the factory owners to display their products, according to the officials.

The things displayed at this expo included plastic products, medications, household appliances, dairy, and other consumable goods.

“The booths were very good, the facilities were very good, people had all visited, participated from Herat and other provinces, and many of the contracts were signed at this expo,” according to Toryali Ghousi, a representative of the Herat Chamber of Industries and Mines.

Business owners have praised efforts to conduct expos and said that additional steps are required to attract consumers to purchase domestic goods.