Business
Finance ministry reports 37% rise in revenues
The Finance Ministry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) announced Sunday it had collected around 194 billion Afghanis in the last solar year, 1401, which shows an increase of 37 percent compared to the year 1400.
Meraj Mohammad Meraj, deputy director of revenues department of the Ministry of Finance said in a press conference that revenues in the year 1400 was 141.8 billion Afghanis but in 1401, it stood at 194.4 billion Afghanis.
Officials in this ministry also said that the draft budget for 1401 is expected to be approved by the leader of the Islamic Emirate within a week. In the budget of the current fiscal year, 150 development projects have also been included.
Exemption from tax penalties, extension of working hours in customs from 16 to 24 hours, the fight against corruption, electronic revenue collection, installation of digital scales in customs, increase in transit through Afghanistan are among the other achievements officials highlighted.
“Last year, we promised that we would serve the Islamic system and the people. Now we also say that your assets are really spent. There will be no corruption. We will eliminate corruption,” Abdul Mateen Saeed, General Director of Customs of the Ministry of Finance, said.
Ahmad Wali Haqmal, the spokesman of the Ministry of Finance, said: “Last year was a very good year from the financial point of view. The Ministry of Finance with an aim to strengthen the economic pillars of the country, injected 8 to 10 billion Afghanis to the markets every month through salaries etc.”
According to the officials, during the last year, the total value of exports was more than 170 billion Afghanis and imports were more than 599 billion Afghanis. They added that there has been 50 to 70 percent reduction in customs duties on 326 items of basic and food materials.
Trade in goods and services between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan declined by 16.7 percent to £70 million in the 12 months to the end of June 2026, according to the latest figures published by the UK Department for Business and Trade.
The department’s trade and investment factsheet, released on November 6, shows that bilateral trade fell by £14 million compared with the same period a year earlier.
UK exports to Afghanistan totalled £57 million, down 18.6 percent or £13 million, while imports from Afghanistan stood at £13 million, representing a 7.1 percent decline.
The figures show that goods accounted for £32 million, or 45.7 percent, of total trade, while services made up the remaining £38 million, or 54.3 percent.
UK exports to Afghanistan included beverages, pharmaceutical products, dairy products, road vehicles and industrial machinery.
Vegetables and fruit were the leading Afghan goods exports to the UK, worth £1.7 million. Clothing and textile fabrics were also among the main products exported.
The report ranks Afghanistan as the UK’s 166th-largest trading partner, accounting for less than 0.1 percent of the UK’s total trade during the period.
Business
Afghanistan and Russia discuss expanding trade and investment ties
Both sides highlighted the importance of closer cooperation between the Afghan and Russian private sectors.
Afghanistan and Russia have discussed ways to strengthen bilateral trade, expand private-sector cooperation and attract new investment during a meeting in Kabul.
Inayatullah Sediqzi, Deputy Head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) for Services, met with Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov on the sidelines of an event marking Russia’s National Unity Day on Wednesday, November 4.
The event was hosted by the Russian Embassy in Kabul.
According to a statement from the ACCI, discussions focused on boosting economic relations, increasing bilateral trade and creating greater opportunities for businesspeople and investors from both countries.
Both sides highlighted the importance of closer cooperation between the Afghan and Russian private sectors, exploring new areas of economic partnership and establishing stronger direct links between their respective business communities.
The discussions reflect Afghanistan’s continued efforts to expand economic engagement with regional and international partners, with increased trade, private-sector development and foreign investment remaining key priorities.
Afghanistan’s pine nut exports increased by 69 percent in the first seven months of the current solar year 1405 compared with the same period last year, reaching $72 million, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) says.
According to chamber officials, the value of pine nut exports stood at $42 million during the first seven months of last year. The product has been exported to European countries, India and, particularly, China.
Meanwhile, officials at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce say they have taken steps since the beginning of the year to expand pine nut exports and identify new markets for the product.
However, some economic experts say pine nuts are among Afghanistan’s key export products and that relevant government ministries, particularly the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, should strengthen efforts to promote the product and secure access to new markets.
Afghan pine nuts are also exported to China, India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Australia, Turkey, Austria and Kuwait.
Experts emphasize that pine nut packaging should be improved to meet the requirements and standards of different international markets in order to further increase exports.
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