Business
Private company officially starts extraction of chromite in Khost
The Department of Mines and Petroleum of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has announced the start of chromite mining in Khost province, in the Tani district.
Mohammad Sadiq Hamza, head of mines and petroleum in Khost, told the media on Sunday that work to extract chromite has started after a local company was given a five-year contract.
Hamzah said over this five-year period, 21,000 tons of chromite ore will be extracted.
He said government will get 215 million afghanis from the proceeds.
“One ton of it (chromite) has been set at 10,000 afghanis, and in total, 21,500 tons of chromite will be extracted from this mine in the course of five years, and the revenue of 215 million afghanis will be gained,” said Hamza.
The ministry of mines said recently that an assessment of 650 mines had been carried out and that contracts would be awarded to local and foreign companies to start mining operations.
Mining companies have meanwhile said that the emerging process around mining in the country is an improvement as in the past, minerals were extracted illegally and money went into the pockets of individuals. Now however, the sector is being standardized and regulated and contracts are awarded to companies in a transparent and fair way.
Abdul Latif Wahedi, the operations manager of Nefrait Sharq, the company that won the contract for the chromite mine, said: “These contracts are now given to the companies in a transparent manner, and you can see that now every mine in different provinces is extracted in a standardized way, and with this, the government’s income will increase on the one hand, and on the other hand, job opportunities will be provided.”
Khost provincial officials meanwhile said that another two mines will also start up in the near future.
Mawlavi Mohammad Anwar Din Parwar, deputy governor of Khost, said that “in the coming days, you will witness the opening of two more mines in Khost province.”
Chromite is the only source of chromium and is used in the steel industry.
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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