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Survey for construction of Wakhan Corridor in Badakhshan completed

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Abdul Karim Fateh, Technical Deputy Minister of Public Works, says survey work for the construction of a road, known as the Wakhan Economic Corridor, in Badakhshan province has been completed, and work is now underway to design the new transit route.

Fateh stated the ministry is ready to begin practical work on the corridor once the budget is allocated.

According to him, once the road has been completed, Afghanistan will be connected to China by land. He also said the road will be used to transit goods between the two countries.

“China is a major economic country in the world, and fortunately, we share a border with this country. We want to rebuild the road that connects to the Chinese border, so that our imports and exports with China can begin by land,” he added.

Currently, trade between Afghanistan and China amounts to $1.1 billion, and once this transit route is operational, trade between the two countries is expected to expand.

Mirwais Hajizadeh, an economic expert, said: “My suggestion is that this Wakhan route should be created as soon as possible, and more focus should be put on it to reduce the transportation costs of imports and exports for traders and the private sector.”

“In the past, if a container of pine nuts was exported to China via air corridors, the cost was more than sixty to $65,000. If we export through Wakhan, our costs will decrease by 90 percent, and the cost will not exceed $5,000.”

Economic experts also believe that if Afghanistan is connected to China by land, several other countries will also transfer their goods to China via the corridor.

Currently, meanwhile, Afghanistan imports Chinese goods through various routes, and from time to time, Pakistan creates issues that result in heavy losses for Afghan traders.

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Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan rise by 92% to $504 million

Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan from July to December 2024 totaled $9.9 million against $4.425 million for the same period in 2023

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Pakistan recorded a substantial increase of 92% in it’s export of goods and services to Afghanistan during the first six months of Islamabad’s current fiscal year as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the overall exports to Afghanistan were recorded at $504.308 million during July-December (2024-25) against exports of $262.583 million during July-December (2023-24), SBP stated. 

Overall Pakistan’s exports to other countries witnessed an increase of 7 percent in the first six months, from $15.146 billion to $16.229 billion, the SBP stated.

 On the other hand, Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan in the same period totaled $9.9 million against $4.425 million in 2023.

On a year-on-year basis, imports from Afghanistan witnessed an increase of 18 percent from $1.238 million in December 2023, against the imports of $1.466 million in December 2024. 

On a month-on-month basis, the imports from Afghanistan into the country also witnessed an increase of 8.27 percent during December 2024, as compared to the imports of $1.354 million during November 2024.

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Gold holds near record peak as trade jitters buoy safe-haven demand

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Gold prices eased on Thursday as the dollar regained some ground, although concerns over the U.S.-China trade war kept the safe-haven bullion close to a record high level hit in the previous session.

Spot gold was 0.4% lower at $2,854.39 per ounce by 0802 GMT, after hitting an all-time peak of $2,882.16 in the previous session, Reuters reported.

U.S. gold futures shed 0.6% to $2,875.

The dollar index , which measures the greenback against six major rivals, was up 0.2%.

"Investors are trying not to miss this rally as they place their position because they are happy with the returns. That's the reason why it's (gold) hitting successive highs," said Soni Kumari, a commodity strategist at ANZ.

"Bullion could hit the $3,000 level soon ... However, what could make the market consolidate will be some clarity on trade ties or easing trade tensions."

On Wednesday, China filed a World Trade Organization complaint against U.S. President Donald Trump's new 10% tariff on Chinese imports.

A trade war between the world's two largest economies could weigh on global growth and drive up inflation, benefiting the bullion further as it is considered a safe investment during economic and geopolitical turmoil.

"The gold bull market looks set to continue under Trump 2.0 with trade wars and geopolitical tensions reinforcing the reserve diversification/de-dollarization trend and supporting EM official sector gold demand," Citi said in a note.

"Global growth concerns are also set to raise ETF and over-the-counter investment demand."

U.S. Federal Reserve officials also pointed to the large policy uncertainty around tariffs and issues arising from the early days of Trump's administration as among the top challenges in figuring out where to take the monetary policy in the months ahead.

Market focus is now on U.S. weekly jobless claims data, due at 1330 GMT, and the non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which could offer insights into the economy's overall strength.

Spot silver dropped 1.3% to $31.91 per ounce, and palladium fell 0.4% to $985.48. Platinum gained 0.2% to $981.74.

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US spending of $3.71 billion has had no impact on Afghanistan’s economy: Ministry

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The Ministry of Economy in a statement on Saturday responding to a report by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), said the $3.71 billion mentioned by the agency was allocated to international institutions, a large portion of which was used for their own expenses, and the rest designated as humanitarian aid.

SIGAR’s report stated that the US has spent $3.71 billion in Afghanistan over the past three years, but it has had little significant impact on the country’s economic situation.

According to the statement, the Ministry of Economy has urged the international community and countries to release over $9 billion of Afghanistan's foreign reserves, which have been frozen, to the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB).

The statement stated this would allow the funds to be used for maintaining monetary stability, strengthening the financial system, facilitating trade with the world, and ensuring Afghanistan’s economic stability.

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