Kyrgyzstan’s National Statistics Committee has reported a dramatic rise in the country’s oil exports to Afghanistan, with over 40 million liters of gasoline and fuel oil exported between January and December of last year.
According to the committee, this represents a 100-fold increase compared to the same period the previous year.
In 2022, Kyrgyzstan exported only 384,000 liters of fuel to Afghanistan, valued at $212,000, while in 2023, the exports surged to $18.5 million in value. The bulk of this fuel was reportedly delivered to Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan.
Afghanistan now accounts for more than 90 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s total oil exports, making it the primary recipient. Uzbekistan ranks second, having imported 2.5 million liters of fuel worth $1 million during the same period.
The average export price of gasoline was approximately $0.50 per liter. Kyrgyz officials clarified that the fuel exported to Afghanistan does not originate from Russia. Under a bilateral agreement with Moscow, fuels imported from Russia, specifically AI-92 and AI-95 grades are restricted to domestic use and are exempt from export.
These Russian-origin fuels are imported duty-free via Kazakhstan, helping to stabilize Kyrgyzstan’s domestic fuel prices at around $0.80 per liter.
According to the Kyrgyz Petroleum Traders Association, the fuel exported to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan primarily consists of AI-81 grade gasoline, along with fuel oil derived from locally extracted crude in the southwest of Kyrgyzstan.
In total, Kyrgyzstan imported approximately 630 million liters of fuel last year, valued at $277 million, with the majority sourced from Russia, and a smaller portion from Kazakhstan.
