Business
Spin Boldak land port an ongoing problem for Afghan traders

A number of businessmen in Kandahar province say traders are still facing problems at Spin Boldak crossing as Pakistan officials are stopping trucks carrying commercial goods from entering the country.
Traders say hundreds of vehicles carrying commercial goods have been stopped by Pakistan, most of which are carrying fresh produce.
Local chamber of commerce officials have confirmed this and say the trucks clear Afghansitan’s land port but get stopped at Pakistan’s entry gate.
“Hundreds of our vehicles, … [carrying] grapes, cucumbers, pomegranates and onions, have passed through the [Afghanistan] gate and are stopped at their (Pakistan) customs for five days, and we have documents and evidence in this regard, and they don’t allow our vehicles until they are sure that the goods are spoiled and damaged,” said Mohammad Shafiq, head of Spin Boldak Chamber of Commerce in Kandahar.
Other traders have also complained about the increase in customs tariffs by Pakistan and say that these tariffs are “back-breaking”.
“Recently, the government of Pakistan decided that they want approximately 25 percent of taxes from us, and this is something that is against the international norms,” said Saadullah Torjan, vice president of the Spin Boldak Kandahar Chamber of Commerce
“Yes, Pakistan has caused a lot of problems for Afghans and they (Pakistan) stop the vehicles of traders’ goods for five or even six days,” said Mohammad Idris, a businessman in Kandahar.
Truck drivers also complain about the problems at the land port and say that they wait for several nights before they can deliver their goods.
Mohammad Karim, a driver in Kandahar, says: “The Pakistani side creates problems for us under various pretexts.”
Officials from the Border Commissioner in Spin Boldak meanwhile pointed out that Kabul and Islamabad had agreed to the Spin Boldak gate being open 24 hours a day for commercial goods, but the Pakistani side has not fulfilled this agreement so far.
“Kabul and Islamabad had agreed that the Spin Boldak gate should be active 24 hours [a day] for business, and in this regard, we have talked several times with the Pakistani authorities that the gate should be open 24 hours a day, but the other side has not agreed so far,” said Noorul Baqi Ahmad, the border commissioner at Spin Boldak, Kandahar.
While the authorities of the Islamic Emirate and Pakistan have repeatedly said that they will deal with the problems of traders in the ports between the two countries, on the contrary, the problems of traders are increasing day by day.
Business
Afghanistan records trade volume of $292 million via air corridors in 1403 solar year

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce says that in the solar year 1403 (April 2024 to March 2025), goods worth $292 million were transported through air corridors.
Abdulsalam Jawad Akhundzada, the ministry’s spokesman, said that the value of exports through air corridors this year totalled $125 million and imports $167 million.
He added that the main export items were dried fruits, saffron, dried and fresh figs, jujubes, pine nuts and handicrafts, and the main import items were medicines and electronic devices.
Akhundzada said that exports happened through Kabul, Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif airports to the United States, Germany, China, India, Britain, South Africa, Austria, United Arab Emirates and some other countries.
Business
Oman and Afghanistan explore ways to further enhance bilateral trade relations
During the meeting, Rawas and Muttaqi agreed to facilitate trade exchange between the two countries and utilize the available opportunities for mutual benefit.

Faisal Abdullah Al Rawas, Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, for talks on boosting trade relations between the two countries.
The meeting comes within the context of promoting relations between Oman and Afghanistan in the economic and trade sectors.
The two sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and economy, as well as developing ties in the logistics and tourism sectors.
They also touched on supporting joint projects that contribute to stimulating economic growth.
The two sides underlined the importance of exchanging experiences and knowledge in those fields.
During the meeting, Rawas and Muttaqi agreed to facilitate trade exchange between the two countries and utilise the available opportunities for mutual benefit.
Muttaqi traveled to Oman on Sunday. The foreign ministry announced that the trip was made at the invitation of the Omani Foreign Minister.
Business
Iran’s non-oil export to Afghanistan up 31% in 10 months
Iran exported non-oil commodities valued at $1.9 billon to Afghanistan between March 20 last year and January 19 this year.

The value of Iran’s non-oil export to Afghanistan increased by 31 percent in the first ten months of the Persian calendar against the same period last year, Tehran officials confirmed.
The Tehran Times reported that Iran exported non-oil commodities valued at $1.9 billon to Afghanistan between March 20 last year and January 19 this year.
The spokesperson for the Trade Development Committee of the House of Industry, Mining, and Trade, Ruhollah Latifi, said Afghanistan was the fourth top export destination of Iranian products among Iran’s neighbors in the mentioned ten months.
In a meeting with an Iranian trade delegation in Kabul last August, Afghanistan’s interim Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund said that his country is eager to attract Iranian investors in order to develop the Afghan mining industry, generate solar electricity and expand railway connectivity.
The Iranian delegation also proposed to launch a joint special industrial zone with Afghanistan.
Noting that Afghanistan has turned into a good place for making investment, Baradar said that the relevant ministries and organizations will cooperate and work closely with investors.
The Iranian delegation, made up of economic and trade players, also held a separate meeting with Afghanistan’s acting minister of commerce Haji Nooruddin Azizi. They called for the formation of a joint economic-mining zone between the two neighboring countries.
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