Afghan Farmers Face Crisis as Torkham Crossing Closure Hits Grape Prices

Closure of trade routes with Pakistan and lack of adequate cold storage facilities have plunged Afghan farmers into a serious crisis, severely impacting the price of grapes.

Closure of the Torkham Crossing Poses Serious Challenges for Farmers

As the harvest season for orchard products unfolds in Afghanistan, farmers are facing a significant financial crisis due to the closure of trade routes with Pakistan, particularly the Torkham crossing. This issue, combined with a scarcity of standardized cold storage and a lack of suitable export markets, has led to a dramatic decline in prices.

Local entrepreneurs report that in the Bagram district of Parwan, farmers producing over 17 tons of grapes have seen the price per seer plummet from 100 Afghanis last year to just 60 Afghanis, resulting in substantial financial losses. In the Kohistanat district of Sar-e Pol and the center of Logar province, the value of a carton of grapes has dropped from 1,200 Afghanis to around 200 to 250 Afghanis.

Need for Alternative Trade Corridors

Economic expert Mohammad Bashir Doodial points to the lack of processing capacities and insufficient cold storage as factors exacerbating this crisis. He stresses the necessity of establishing alternative trade corridors, noting that while the country has 450 cold storage facilities, a significant portion of them are inactive and therefore unable to handle seasonal bulk production.

This situation has worsened since the strategic Torkham crossing has been closed since October last year due to security tensions and border clashes between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, with access only available for returnees. This disruption has severed the main artery for exporting fresh fruit from Afghanistan, directly harming farmers.

Risk of Agricultural Product Destruction Due to Border Closures

Afghan farmers are now facing the threat of losing their crops, as the quality of perishable fruits has drastically deteriorated due to delays in transportation and rising temperatures. This crisis poses a significant threat to families reliant on agriculture and jeopardizes their year-long efforts.