IEA stops coal trucks through Torkham to speed up fresh fruit exports

The Ministry of Finance of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Monday banned the movement of coal trucks through Torkham customs so as to ease traffic through the border crossing for trucks carrying fresh fruit.

According to a directive of the Ministry of Finance, coal trucks will no longer be allowed to pass through Torkham customs and will have to use alternate routes.

The move was taken to avoid spoilage of fresh fruits and traffic congestion on highway, the ministry said.

“Due to the fresh fruit season in Afghanistan and large quantities of fresh fruit being exported through Torkham customs, drivers of coal trucks have to export though Paktia, Paktika and Khost customs to avoid spoilage of these fruits and traffic congestion,” read the ministry’s statement.

Afghanistan has long yielded a wide variety of fruit and exports a huge amount to Pakistan every year.

So far in Afghanistan, ten types of apples, ten types of pomegranates, about 24 types of apricots, 18 types of grapes, about 15 types of cherries and 19 types of peaches have been identified in the country.

This comes after the IEA government said it has increased coal exports to Pakistan.

The IEA government, which is not recognized by the international community and cannot obtain foreign funding, has also increased its tax on coal exports, Deutsche Welle reported.

“Coal exports have increased because we have paved the way for traders,” Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the IEA’s finance ministry, told Reuters.

He added that 16 billion afghanis worth of coal had been exported from Afghanistan in the past six months, with three billion afghanis (about $33 million) coming from customs.

According to Deutsche Welle, Pakistani officials have not yet commented. But government sources say coal imports from Afghanistan have increased and up to 500,000 tonnes of coal may be purchased monthly from the neighboring country.

Pakistan currently imports about three-quarters of its coal from South Africa.

Last week Mansoor Ahmad Khan, ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan, said in a tweet that he met with Haji Muhammad Rasool Totakhel the President of the Coal Union of Afghanistan to resolve logistic problems in transporting coal from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

“This is important for promoting trade and connectivity,” Mansoor Ahmad Khan tweeted.