Numbers provided by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) indicate that the volume of trade between Afghanistan and three Central Asian republics – Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan — has increased in the current year (solar year).
According to ACCI, this year Afghanistan has exported goods to Central Asia valued at $33 million and imports have exceeded $2 billion. “This year our imports from Central Asia were over $2 billion,” ACCI acting chairman Mohammad Yunus Mohmand said. Officials, however, did not provide an exact figure about the amount of Afghanistan-Central Asia trade in the last year.
In the meantime, officials from the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce said that the volume of trade between the two countries has decreased by 26 percent this year. “There are multiple reasons. First, there are goods’ transportation problems in ports. Second, Pakistan’s banking system has imposed a series of limitations on trade which has led to a decrease in the imports of goods to Afghanistan,” said Naqibullah Safi, head of the chamber.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance said that after the takeover of the Islamic Emirate, customs’ revenue increased in the north of the country because of Central Asia-South Asia trade and transit. “Since the Islamic Emirate, over 8,000 trucks have transported goods between Central Asia and South Asia through Afghanistan and we have collected customs revenue from this,” said Ahmad Wali Haqmal, the ministry spokesman said.
“Today Afghanistan needs trade relations with all the world’s countries and such relations will increase government revenues,” said Hamid Azizi Mujaddedi, a university lecturer.
ACCI officials said this year Afghanistan’s import volume decreased due to unemployment, poverty and economic problems in the country which have led to a sharp decrease in demands in the markets.
