Business
Afghan pine nuts worth $700 million smuggled abroad
The Afghanistan Pine Nuts Production Union said on Monday hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Afghan products and produce including sought-after pine nuts have been smuggled out of the country over the past few years due to the lack of control.
According to union officials, pine nuts worth about $700 million have been smuggled out of the country since April alone, the start of this solar year.
“Pine nuts worth $700 million have been smuggled to other countries and have been sold on world markets under the name of other countries,” said Mahbubullah Gardezi, head of the union.
Afghanistan Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock meanwhile said that 1,000 tons of Afghan pine nuts have been exported legally to China since trade resumed between the two countries last month.
However, Mirwais Hajizada, the deputy head of the chamber, said: “The [volume] of exports doesn’t meet our expectations.”
Economists have in turn called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to facilitate the export of pine nuts and support national traders.