Helmand: High Value Commercial Opportunities for Foreign Investment Brief for HRH Duke of York: 19 December 2010 Market Facts • Helmand's main airport, BOST, 90 minutes flying-time from Dubai • 20% of the world population within 3 hours flying time • The main towns, Lashkar Gah and Gereshk, have secure industry sites in design and under development by DFID • BOST Industrial Park (in Lashkar Gah — currently under construction by DFID) is a secure location sited alongside the runway at BOST airport; supported by the Afghan Investment Services Agency • Gereshk IP is alongside the main Afghan arterial highway and 90 minutes drive time from Pakistan • State Owned Enterprise in both main towns provide existing industrial sites for exploitation • Raw product exports already to rest of Afghanistan and Pakistan via Kandahar • Some initial export testing underway to Dubai; and on pomegranate to Europe, Commodity Investment Opportunities Agriculture: • Helmand is a food surplus province with a significant year round production cycle based on a US/UK funded irrigation system and both industrial and potentially high value crops suitable for processing investment and commoditisation; including o Pomegranate and other fruits (grape, almond, apricot, melon) o Wheat and other cereals o Mung beans, legume (cucumber, tomato, leafy greens, onion, ) o Cotton o Nuts o Commercial farming partnerships • There has been no investment in processing or marketing for 30 years: significant opportunities exist to undertake: o Wheat milling and other cereal processing o Fruit drying, juicing plant o Vegetable drying/chilling, processing, packaging o Cotton processing and textile production o Oil extraction/biofuels o Dried nut grading, cleaning and packing • Opportunities available for immediate investment with processing plant in Cotton, with farm cooperatives, major landowners, Provincial Government, and state farms as willing partners;