The Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Investment on Monday warns that if the Spin Boldak crossing in Kandahar does not open for the country’s exports, Kandahar gardeners will lose millions of afghanis.
A number of gardeners in Kandahar, with the arrival of the grape season in the province, link the closure of the Spin Boldak crossing to the government’s recklessness in resolving the fundamental problems of transit and trade with Pakistan.
This comes after the grape’s gardens are ready for harvest in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province.
But so far this year, there is no market for these grapes and Pakistan’s crossing is closed to Kandahar grape exports.
“When the season of our fruits arrives they [Pakistan] close the border gates and here our business is closed,” said Daoud Shah, fresh fruits businessman in Panjwai district of Kandahar.
“If the gates are closed, our fruit in trucks will spoil on the way,” said Hayatullah, a businessman.
The gardeners say that to prevent their grapes from spoiling, they have to dry them and if the means are provided, they will export the raisins.
The gardeners say they are facing huge losses this year.
“In the past, we used to sell seven kilos of grapes for about 300 afghanis, but now it is not sold for 150 afghanis,” said Hashim, a gardener in Panjwai district of Kandahar.
“When the Spin Boldak incident happened and the delegation came from Kabul, we told them our problems and demands both verbal and in writing to solve our problems with the government of Pakistan,” said Nasrullah Zahir, head of the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce.
Officials at the Chamber of Commerce and Investment say they have shared their concerns with the central government, but so far nothing has been done to address the province’s problems with agricultural products.
