The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) said that exports surpassed $350 million in the first quarter of 1402 solar year.
The MoIC’s spokesman, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Javad, said that the rate of export has increased 5 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
According to Javad, most of the exports have been to Pakistan, India, China and Iran.
“The majority of our export items were fresh fruits, dry fruit, carpets and saffron. They were exported to India, Pakistan, China, Iran and the UAE,” he said.
This comes as the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment said that the world markets, particularly in Russia, needs Afghan agriculture products. Khanjan Alokozai, a member of the ACCI, called for facilitation of air-corridor to pave the way for an increase of exports of Afghan products.
“As Central Asia and Iran have the same fruits, we don’t have a good market there. We have a market in Russia but unfortunately the transit path is a problem as it passes through four and five Central Asian countries,” he said.
Traders meanwhile expressed concerns about challenges in the issuance of business visas, saying that only Pakistan, Iran, and China are distributing visas for trade.
The economists said that the increase in exports has also caused a surge in the country’s national revenue.
“(The increase of our exports) has caused the stabilization of our national currency, moderation in trade balance,” said Azeraksh Hafizi, an economist.
Earlier, the MoIC said that the rate of Afghanistan’s exports reached more than $2 billion in the1401 solar year.