Business
Afghan pine nuts exports increase: officials
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce have announced that exports of Afghan pine nuts have increased recently.
Officials in the ministry say that in the last eight months, more than 5,000 tons of pine nuts worth $14 million have been exported to the United Arab Emirates, China, Qatar, UK, USA, Australia, Netherlands and other countries.
“In the last eight months, pine nuts exports worth approximately 14 million dollars were exported mainly to China, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, US, UK, Australia, Netherlands and other countries,” said Abdulsalam Jawad Akhundzada, the spokesman of the ministry.
“Although it was the best in terms of price and quality, but most of last year’s pine nuts still remain in the markets, which should be exported to Arab countries and US through international expos, and must be supported by subsidy programs by the government to other domestic factories and should be regulated,” said Mahboobullah Mohammadi, an investor.
Meanwhile, officials in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock also say that they are trying to increase the production of pine nuts in the country. The ministry’s spokesman adds that pine nuts are produced in a traditional way, and they have managed this process properly and prevented waste.
“Pine nuts are in the natural forests, and in the forests where there are pine nuts, we have tried to increase the yield of pine nuts,” said Misbahuddin Mustain, the spokesman of the ministry.
Experts say that the government should pay more attention to the production and export of pine nuts and introduce this product in global markets.
Afghan pine nuts enjoys a special reputation. In the past years, the product used to be exported to global markets through air corridors, but now that the air corridors are not fully operational, a small amount of pine nuts is exported outside the country.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Afghanistan exported goods worth nearly $2 billion to regional countries and beyond during the year 2023.
Its spokesman stated on Monday that Afghanistan’s exports were mainly to countries such as Pakistan, India, China, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
He mentioned that Afghanistan’s exports this year have increased by two percent compared to previous years and emphasized the need for world’s restrictions to be lifted for the development of Afghanistan’s trade.
Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, headed to Russia to participate in an international economic meeting in Kazan, Tatarstan.
The aim of the Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum 2024, the 15th edition of the forum, is to offer a platform for leading international economic and financial specialists from the Islamic world to strengthen ties between the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the regions of the Russian Federation in the economic, educational, social and cultural spheres, Anadolu Agency reported.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that Azizi, leading a high-level delegation of the Islamic Emriate, traveled to Tatarstan at the invitation of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov.
The forum is held between May 14 and 19.
The forum also aims to promote the development of Islamic financial institutions in Russia and worldwide, with a focus on joint international projects and programs, according to Anadolu Agency.
More than 80 nations are expected to participate in the event, including representatives of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Malaysia, Türkiye, Iran, Libya, and other OIC member states.
Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi says Afghanistan has the potential to become one of the most important industrial centers in the region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the national and international expo on the occasion of Industry Week, Hanafi said that the growth of industry lays the foundation for the growth of other economic sectors and that the Islamic Emirate fully supports domestic production in the country.
“Afghanistan has important and rich factors for industrial production, which can become one of the important industrial centers in the region. The growth of industry will be the basis for the growth of other economic sectors, especially agriculture,” said Hanafi.
Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, added that the IEA has programs in the fields of industry development and support for the private sector that will make Afghanistan self-sufficient.
Azizi stated that Afghanistan’s industrial sector is currently progressing and the quality of export goods has also improved.
Some investors said at the ceremony that after the return of the IEA, the country’s exports have increased and the number of manufacturing companies has also increased.
This expo is open to visitors for seven days, and industrial products are showcased in 450 booths.
Women in business also attended the meeting.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed on the issuance of a temporary admission document for transporters of commercial goods, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Aviation announced on Sunday.
The ministry said in an announcement that truck drivers and their assistants carrying commercial goods from Afghanistan and Pakistan must have this document with them at the crossings.
Based on the announcement, the document will be issued to Afghans at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul and its consulate in Kandahar.
For Pakistanis, the document is distributed at the office of the Afghanistan transport attaché in Peshawar and Quetta.
The Ministry of Transportation and Aviation asked owners and drivers of trucks to submit the required documents to their respective transportation companies by June 1.
The ministry warned that after June 1, trucks cannot travel between the two countries without having the temporary admission document.
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