Business
Afghanistan’s agricultural exports total $2 billion in first four months of 2023
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock says the volume of agricultural exports from Afghanistan in the first four months of this year totaled $2 billion dollars.
According to officials in this ministry, the export volume of agricultural products has increased significantly compared to last year.
“In the first four months of the year, $2 billion worth of exports were made, the largest part of which is agricultural products, and this year, when it is now the fruit season and exports have started, it is expected that the amount of exports will be higher than in the past,” said Misbahuddin Mostain, the spokesman of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
The Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock also says a good amount of agricultural products are regularly exported, although problems do arise from time-to-time.
“In the export sector, our traders were able to export, but recently, due to the blocking of the Torkham crossing and the blocking of the Kabul-Jalalabad highway, our traders could not continue their exports. The businessman has suffered, and we can share the exact export figures only when fruits and vegetables are harvested at the end of the season,” said Mirwais Hajizada, the deputy head of the chamber of agriculture and livestock.
Experts believe that Afghanistan is an agricultural country, which provides jobs for hundreds of thousands of people. They also believe the more produce exported, the better the chance of growing Afghanistan’s economy.
However, an Iranian official has said that in the first six months of this year, Tehran has exported 35,195 tons of agricultural products to Afghanistan through the Dogharon Customs crossing. According to Iranian media reports, the country's agricultural director added that in the first half of this year, 4,467 tons of agricultural products were imported from Afghanistan to Iran via this route.
China resumed its direct freight rail services to Afghanistan on Thursday when a train loaded with goods left Nantong city in Jiangsu province.
The train, carrying commercial goods in 55 wagons, is heading for the northern Hairatan border in Balkh province, Yue Xiaoyong, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a post on X.
Nantong is a central hub of the Belt and Road Initiative and is located north of Shanghai.
The resumption of the rail line was marked at a formal ceremony on Thursday with Yue and Bilal Karimi, the Afghan Ambassador to China, in attendance.
This comes after China recently announced plans to lift customs tariffs on Afghan exports to China by the end of this year, further strengthening trade ties between the two nations.
Business
IEA signs contract for construction of cement factory in Jawzjan Province
Turkish 77 Company will invest $163 million in the factory, which will have a daily output of 3,000 tons of cement once completed
The Islamic Emirate on Tuesday signed a multi-million dollar contract with Turkish 77 Company for a new cement factory in the Yatim Taq area of Jawzjan Province in northern Afghanistan.
The contract was signed in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund.
Turkish 77 Company will invest $163 million in the factory, which will have a daily output of 3,000 tons of cement once completed.
Also in attendance on Tuesday were officials from the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum who stated that the contract, which allows the Turkish company to explore, extract, produce cement, and deliver social services, is valid for 30 years.
The establishment of this cement production plant will directly create around 1,200 jobs for local citizens.
In addition to the signing of this contract, the ministry also inked contracts worth $476 million with several domestic and foreign companies for cement projects in Jabal al-Saraj, Kandahar, and Herat.
The IEA has said this is in line with their aim of propelling the country towards self-sufficiency in the cement sector.
Business
China to offer Afghanistan tariff-free trade
Afghanistan could offer a wealth of mineral resources to boost Beijing’s supply chain security
China will offer the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) tariff-free access to its vast construction, energy and consumer sectors, Beijing's envoy to Afghanistan said on Thursday.
Beijing has sought to develop its ties with the IEA since they took control of Afghanistan in 2021, but like all governments has refrained from formally recognising the government.
Although an impoverished country, Afghanistan could offer a wealth of mineral resources to boost Beijing's supply chain security.
Selling Afghanistan's lithium, copper and iron deposits to feed China's enormous battery and construction industries would help the IEA prop up their economy, and provide a much needed revenue stream.
"China will offer Afghanistan zero-tariff treatment for 100% tariff lines," Zhao Xing, Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, wrote on his official X account late on Thursday.
Afghanistan exported $64 million worth of goods to China last year, according to Chinese customs data, close to 90% of which was shelled pine nuts
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