Violent clashes on the border have brought trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan to a halt, pushing the former to find new outlets and the latter to seek out new sources
Afghanistan exported its first batch of apples and pomegranates to the Russian market this month, according a report in the Times of India.
Back in May, Alhaj Nuruddin Azizi, the minister of industry and commerce in Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, commented: “Russia is one of Afghanistan’s most important trading partners.”
He said his country could offer Russia fruits and spices as part of the mutual trade. Afghanistan is also keen on expanding trade with Iran, India and Central Asia in response to a sharp decline in bilateral trade with Pakistan.
Prices of fruits and vegetables have skyrocketed in Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces following the suspension of trade with Afghanistan after violent armed clashes on the border in October.
“Pakistan imports vegetables like tomatoes, onions and fruits and a lot of dry fruit from Afghanistan via road trade, but with borders closed, prices have gone up,” Muhammad Fahad Iqbal, vice chairman of the fruits and vegetables association, told Times of India.
Potatoes of various varieties are apparently being sold at PKR 200-300 (€0.60-€0.90) per kilo in the market, the paper reported, while onions are being sold at PKR 250-400 (€0.76-€1.22), garlic at PKR 600 (€1.84) and ginger at PKR 800 (€2.45).
“Recent floods hit a lot of local crops in the country, and in many areas, vegetable and fruit crops were wasted, so we have been relying heavily on Afghan imports,” one vegetable wholesaler revealed.
Back in May, India approved the entry of 160 Afghan trucks carrying dried fruits and nuts through the Attari border with Pakistan. India now stands as Afghanistan’s largest export market in South Asia, with annual trade of around US$1bn.
In October, Afghanistan also reportedly boosted its exports to Iran and Turkmenistan by 60-70 per cent, while trade with Pakistan – which represented 45 per cent of Afghanistan’s total foreign trade just a year ago – has practically stopped.
