Business
Export volume of Afghan pine nuts drops off
Exports of pine nuts from Afghanistan have declined in recent months as trade routes remain closed, traders say.
Traders in Khost said that the pine nuts could spoil if shipments remain in warehouses for too long.
“In the past, pine nuts were being exported to Pakistan, China and other countries at a high price,” said Anwar, a trader in Khost. “Now the routes are closed. The route to Pakistan is closed.”
Bostan, another pine nuts trader in Khost, said that their harvest remains in underground warehouses and the pine nuts are rotting.
According to the Khost Pine Nuts Traders Union, the price of pine nuts has declined by 50 percent and they don’t have proper facilities to preserve it.
“In the past, pine nuts would either go to China or Pakistan,” Gulkai, head of Pine Nuts Traders said. “It not only spoils, but also loses weight.”
Local officials in Khost acknowledged that pine nuts traders are facing challenges, but say they are working to resolve the problems.
“The Islamic Emirate has tried to help reopen the routes, but there are some issues which are in the hands of others only,” said Shabir Ahmad Osmani, the provincial head of information and culture in Khost.
Hundreds of tons of pine nuts are produced annually in Paktia, Khost and Paktika provinces, but its trade faces many challenges.
Recently, China promised to reactivate air corridors with Afghanistan to facilitate importing of pine nuts and other dried fruits from Afghanistan.
Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, met with Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk to discuss trade and investment, it was announced on Friday.
Sergey Pavlov, General Director of Russian Railways, and Dmitry Zverev, Deputy Minister of Transport of Russia, were also present in the meeting, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement.
According to the statement, the two sides discussed increasing the volume of trade, preferential tariff for Afghan goods, Russian investment in mines and water dams in Afghanistan, and Afghanistan’s role in the International North–South Transport Corridor.
They also discussed about reducing the cost of transportation through the Russian railway, removing the export tax on basic materials, arranging the trip of the delegation to the ports of Astrakhan and Makhachkala, and holding a trade connectivity conference and an expo of Afghan products in Moscow.
Azizi met with the Russian deputy PM on the sidelines of the Kazan Forum – the 15th International Economic Forum of Russia and the Islamic World.
He also met with representatives of a number of Tatarstan and Russia companies and encouraged them to invest in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said Thursday acting minister Nooruddin Azizi met with the leader of Russia’s autonomous republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov, on the sidelines of a meeting in Kazan.
According to the ministry, Azizi met with Minnikhanov on the sidelines of the Kazan Forum – the 15th International Economic Forum of Russia and the Islamic World.
The two officials discussed bilateral trade relations, the establishment of the Russian Trade House in Afghanistan, the visit of Minnikhanov to Kabul, investment in electricity production, water transfer, mining, cultural and economic cooperation and other matters.
This annual meeting is held by Russia and the 14th round of this meeting was also held in the same country last year.
The main goal of the forum is to strengthen trade and economic, scientific and technical, social and cultural ties between Russian regions and the countries of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as to promote the development of the Islamic financial system institutions in Russia.
The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) said on Wednesday that last year, the value of exports totaled $1.79 billion while imports totaled $8.57 billion.
According to NSIA, fruits accounted for the largest share of export items last year, totaling over $645 million.
Medicinal plants, minerals and vegetables were the next top three items respectively to be exported.
Meanwhile, petroleum and oil accounted for the largest portion of imported goods, totaling over $1.37 billion.
Another large portion of the total amount imported went to machinery, vehicles and parts. This totaled over $1.15 billion, followed by textiles, metals and metal products.
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