Afghanistan’s Ministry of Commerce has said US President Donald Trump’s 10% tariff on Afghan goods imported into the United States will have a profound impact on the Afghan people, especially on small businesses and women entrepreneurs. 

According to a statement issued by the ministry on Monday, the US should be supportive of Afghanistan instead of imposing tariffs as such trade pressure could hamper the country’s economic growth. 

The statement comes after Trump slapped a range of tariffs on almost all countries that trade with the US, including Afghanistan. 

Trump announced the tariffs in an executive order alongside an address at the White House on Wednesday.

In the executive order, Trump said while the US trading policy has been built on the principle of reciprocity, taxes and barriers on US products by its trading partners had hurt the US.

The tariffs, he said, were a response. The base tariff of 10 percent on almost all US imports will be imposed by April 5, the additional reciprocal tariffs on countries will kick in on April 9. 

During his address, Trump made the argument that the US is charging its trading partners with smaller tariffs compared with the tariffs and non-tariff barriers that the partners impose on the US.

“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said.

“If you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America,” he said.

According to officials from Afghanistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Investment, currently the total volume of trade between Afghanistan and the United States is between $8 million and $10 million annually.

The Ministry meanwhile called on the US government and other countries to be constructive and supportive in their trade dealings with Afghanistan, so that Afghanistan can play an active and effective role in global trade.

Responding to Trump’s move to impose a 10% tariff on Afghanistan, Khan Jan Alokozai, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said last week: “It will undoubtedly affect us to some extent. Our trade with the US is small, but important items are exported, such as handicrafts, an industry in which women especially work. 

“Handicrafts such as hats are exported. Antique items that are very important to know our identity are also exported. Dried fruits and sometimes fresh fruits and carpets are also exported,” he said.

Abdul Qasim Amarkhel, head of the Dried Fruit Exporters’ Union, said: “The 10% tariff is cruel and illegal. This country is not China or Europe, but Afghanistan. Our dried fruit exports to the US are not that high. It is around $10 million. We ask the US to reconsider this decision. It should also release our frozen funds.”

Afghanistan’s exports to the US are mainly carpets and dried fruits.

The United Nations in Afghanistan has called on the international donor community to maintain critical support for the 22.9 million Afghan people in need of assistance this year.

According to a statement issued by the organization on Monday, the only way for the Afghan people to escape the cycle of poverty and suffering is for their urgent needs to be addressed.

The appeal for the country, which is the world’s second-largest humanitarian crisis today, comes ahead of meetings in Istanbul this week of the Afghanistan Coordination Group (ACG), which brings together Member State donor representatives, International Financial Institutions and the UN in Afghanistan.

Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan said in the statement: “If we want to help the Afghan people escape the vicious cycle of poverty and suffering, we must continue to have the means to address urgent needs while simultaneously laying the groundwork for long-term resilience and stability. 

“Despite complex challenges in delivering assistance to the Afghan people, we must continue to make the gradual transition from life-saving assistance to sustainable solutions that address the root causes of vulnerability. This is critical for Afghanistan, the region, and the world ,” he said. 

In 2024, humanitarian and basic human needs partners raised a collective $3.21 billion in support of the Afghan people, exceeding funding levels of the previous year.

Contributions by donors enabled the UN and its partners to deliver concrete results in life-saving humanitarian assistance, sustain essential services and strengthen the resilience of Afghans, including women and girls, as highlighted in the UN’s Annual Results Report for Afghanistan for 2024, released to coincide with the ACG meeting.

The UN warned however that the global funding crisis and its dramatic impact on humanitarian and basic human needs programmes could jeopardize the fragile improvements achieved in stabilizing Afghanistan over the last four years, such as improved food security levels and moderate economic growth. 

“Failure to maintain a minimum investment in resilience may lead to negative coping mechanisms of Afghans, including irregular migration as a last resort, exposing them to serious risks and placing additional strain on the region,” the UN stated.

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has rejected reports that US military planes have been landing at Bagram Air Base.

Addressing rumors circulating on social media about the return of US troops, and of a C-17 transport plane landing at the base, Mujahid said Sunday no American military planes have landed at the airfield. He said the IEA will not allow this to happen. 

He said the reports were “propaganda aimed at destroying public minds”.

Mujahid stressed that such activity was “impossible” and that “there is no need for any country’s military presence in Afghanistan at present and the Islamic Emirate will not allow such an action.”

Bagram Airfield, located about 40 kms north-east of Kabul, was the main base for US and NATO forces in Afghanistan during the 20-year war. Foreign troops pulled out of the base in July 2021 and handed it over to the former Afghan government.