Virus wipes away Afghan toilet-paper maker’s plans

KABUL: Afghan toilet paper entrepreneur Zuhal Atmar overcame patriarchy and security threats to build a business that was set to go global due to a coronavirus-induced shortage. But then, the supply of her key raw material — trash — dried up. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a lockdown in Kabul, forcing scavengers off the streets and slashing access to the waste paper and cardboard which Atmar recycles into pink-and-white loo roll. As she prepared to suspend operations at her factory, she told AFP the virus was “the biggest challenge” she had ever faced. “Even while dealing with security risks, we were still able to do business. Now I have no option but to throw my hands up,” the 35-year-old said. Her plight highlights the global nature of the pandemic which has disrupted lives across the world, posing a huge challenge even to businesses used to working under sharp constraints. A rare female face in Afghanistan´s male-dominated business world, Atmar is well-versed in the art of finding creative solutions to seemingly intractable problems. When the government imposed the lockdown to stop the spread of infections last month, she promptly approached local hospitals offering to barter their waste paper for surplus masks she had purchased before the crisis hit. “But the discussions didn´t go anywhere,” she said ruefully.

As a female entrepreneur in a country where women have long battled to have their voices heard, Atmar fought hard to build her company Gul-e-Mursal (“Damask Rose”). “To get a loan, you need a guarantor, a business partner, and of course collateral,” she said. “Women don´t usually have access to any of this — men have better networks and in most cases, family property goes to sons, not daughters, so there´s no collateral,” she added. Her background as a consultant to international organisations in Afghanistan helped Atmar overcome some early challenges, with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) giving her a $100,000 loan to purchase equipment from China. She also ploughed her savings into the business, but more difficulties lay in wait. A lack of qualified technicians meant Atmar had to hire specialists from China and Pakistan to help run the complex machines that wash, pulp, dry and transform cardboard and paper waste into loo roll.