Afghanistan’s Exports to Pakistan Drop by 10%
The Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce reported a 10% decrease in Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan during the first five months of the current solar year.
Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, the spokesperson for the ministry, attributes the decline in exports to Pakistan’s failure to adhere to trade agreements between the two countries.
He said that during this period, trade with regional countries amounted to $4.6 billion.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said: “Around $4.6 billion in trade occurred, of which $509 million were exports and approximately $4.091 billion were imports. In the first five months of 1402, exports were about $568 million, and imports were around $3.211 billion, indicating a 10% decrease in exports compared to the previous year. The main reason for the decline in exports is Pakistan’s non-compliance with the trade agreements between the two countries.”
Meanwhile, some fresh fruit and vegetable exporters have emphasized resolving the challenges between the two countries and called for the creation of alternative trade routes with Pakistan.
Mirwais Haji Zada, a trader, said: “Unfortunately, recently everyone has witnessed that in this season, especially the fruit season, Afghanistan’s routes, such as Torkham, are suddenly closed. This is a major blow. I can tell you that trade with the friendly neighboring country of Pakistan may approach zero in the near future if these problems persist.”
Omid Haidari, another trader, said: “We need an agreement with Iran so that we can export to Turkey through Iran. We also need to attract the attention of Central Asian countries, as well as Iran and India, to invest in the Chabahar port.”
According to information from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, in the first five months of the current solar year, most of Afghanistan’s exports were to Pakistan, India, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, China, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
