The price of pine nuts has risen sharply in local markets following the inauguration of an air corridor between Afghanistan and China, a number of dried fruit and nut retailers said on Sunday.
Currently, the price of one kilogram of pine nuts is around 2,800 AFs in local markets, while eight months ago, it was sold for 1,500 AFs.
“Pine nuts are in demand, people buy them a lot. This year, the price has risen to 3,000 AFs because of its increased export,” said Haseebullah, a pine nut seller in Kabul.
“Last year, pine nuts were sold from 1,500 (AFs) to 1,800, but this year, the price is about 2,800 to 3,000 because of the exports,” said another seller, Obaidullah.
Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) meanwhile said air corridors play a vital role in increasing the export of agricultural and other domestic products of Afghanistan.
“The key reason pine nuts has found these prices in Afghanistan’s markets is because of its export to China and European countries,” said Mir Zaman Popal, member of ACCI.
Sameer Rasa, Head of the Public Relations Office of Senior Advisor to the President in Banking and Finance, said that more than 800 tons of pine nuts has been exported to the Chinese market.
“Six hundred tons of pine nuts were exported to China’s Shanghai city through the air corridor,” said Rasa.
According to government atatistics, 20 tons of pine nuts a day will be exported to China until the end of the season this year.
Afghanistan’s total pine nut output is 23,000 metric tons a year, and China is the major importer of the product.
Afghanistan is known throughout the world for its fresh and dry fruits.
Pine nut trees are mostly found in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan, Kunar, Paktia, Khost and Paktika provinces. Pine nuts also constitute one of the major income sources for local people in these areas.
Based on statistics, the overall prices of Afghan black pine nuts is estimated at $2 billion annually.
President Ashraf Ghani last month inaugurated the Afghanistan-China air cargo corridor – an air corridor that will hopefully generate millions of dollars in revenue for Afghanistan yearly.
The Presidential Palace at the time said the new air corridor would be used to export between $700 and $800 million worth of Afghanistan’s pine nuts to China annually.
