Five Afghan businesses showcased a range of Afghanistan’s well-known agricultural and food products at the Saudi Food Show 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with their products attracting strong interest from Saudi buyers.

The expo was held from September 27 to 29, 2026, providing Afghan companies with an opportunity to connect directly with buyers, distributors and representatives of major retail chains.

The businesses presented dried fruits, nuts, spices, pomegranate juice and fruit concentrates, highlighting Afghanistan’s potential in the agricultural and food export sector.

Their participation was supported through the Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme, funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by UNDP, FAO, IOM and UNODC. The programme focuses on strengthening vulnerable Afghan families and communities affected by the ban on poppy cultivation, climate change and displacement, particularly in Kandahar, Helmand and Badghis.

According to UNDP, the programme works with Afghan businesses to access national and international markets, helping create demand for legal agricultural products and supporting farmers, processors and rural workers.

At two international exhibitions last year, Afghan businesses supported by the programme secured more than $25 million in trade prospects.

UNDP also said that, over the past five years, it has supported more than 13,000 agribusinesses and farmers in reaching new markets, while helping facilitate the sale of more than 23,000 metric tonnes of agricultural produce.

The next major international expo is Annapoorna Inter Food in Mumbai, India, scheduled for December 9–11, where another eight to 10 Afghan businesses are expected to participate.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, the Islamic Emirate’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, on Wednesday inaugurated the Fifth General and International Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) Exhibition at the Afghanistan International Exhibition Center in Kabul.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Baradar said the exhibition is an important platform for showcasing Afghanistan’s economic potential, supporting domestic production, expanding trade relations and strengthening direct commercial ties with the region.

He said Afghanistan’s agricultural, industrial and commercial products, including fresh and dried fruits, can help strengthen trade relations and open new regional and international markets for Afghan products.

“Trade relations and commercial ties among the countries of the region and the world are based on an important principle of trade, namely comparative and absolute advantages,” Baradar said.

He added that every country has comparative or absolute advantages in producing goods and products, which he described as a key driver of regional and international trade.

Baradar also said the Islamic Emirate is working to rebuild Afghanistan’s economic foundations despite limited resources.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is not only completing unfinished chapters in the country’s economic growth and development, but has also, with limited resources, initiated new chapters in rebuilding the country’s economic foundations,” he said.

Baradar highlighted the opening of the Wakhan Economic and Trade Road, saying the route would strengthen Afghanistan’s role in regional trade and transit.

“The Wakhan Economic and Trade Road has been opened. This road connects China with European markets through Afghanistan via the shortest route and transforms Afghanistan into a major hub for regional transit and trade,” Baradar said.

He added that major infrastructure would gradually be developed along the route in addition to generating transit revenues.

Baradar further said the Islamic Emirate’s efforts to improve regional connectivity are aimed at transforming Afghanistan’s borders into centers of economic cooperation.

“We are transforming our borders from points of threat into points of connection for strategic economic cooperation,” he said, describing regional connectivity as one of the Islamic Emirate’s top priorities.

Meanwhile, Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, called for mutually beneficial foreign investment in Afghanistan. He said the Islamic Emirate will not allow the country’s raw minerals to be exported in the future.

Hundreds of Afghan and foreign companies are participating in the seven-day exhibition, with around 600 booths showcasing products across various sectors, including food, medicines, dairy products, construction materials, handicrafts, carpets, plastics and iron products.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, met with Belarus’ Minister of Industry during an official visit to the country.

The two sides discussed the establishment of manufacturing plants in Afghanistan, the regular organization of the Afghanistan-Belarus Business Forum, and follow-up on issues raised through the countries’ economic commission.

Belarusian officials expressed appreciation for Afghanistan’s participation in the country’s international industrial exhibition and voiced interest in expanding the presence of Belarusian manufacturing companies in Afghanistan.

Particular attention was given to companies producing tractors, industrial machinery, and equipment and vehicles used in the mining sector.

The second International Industrial Exhibition of Belarus is being held with the participation of around 500 companies from different countries. The exhibition has also attracted visitors from European and Asian countries.