Afghanistan’s Export Growth Amid Rising Tensions with Pakistan

The Taliban’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce has reported that Afghanistan’s exports through air corridors have reached $154 million in the past nine months, while imports through the same route stand at $121 million. Additionally, the ministry revealed that the value of Afghanistan’s imports via the Chabahar port in Iran has increased to over $2.5 billion.

Export Goods and Destinations

Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, stated at a press conference in Kabul that Afghanistan has exported its goods directly to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and India through air routes, from where these products then reach other global markets.
He noted that Afghanistan’s exports include dried fruits, saffron, dried and fresh figs, jujubes, pine nuts, new clothing, and handicrafts. In return, various medicines, electrical devices, and mobile phones are imported to Afghanistan via the air corridors.

Increase in Imports from Chabahar Amid Tensions with Pakistan

The ministry also reported that Afghanistan exported goods worth $127 million through Chabahar port in 2024. However, a significant figure has been recorded in the imports section, where the value of imports from this port has reached $2 billion and $534 million.
This substantial increase in Afghanistan’s imports through Chabahar comes amidst rising tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan in the past four years, which have led to repeated closures of trade and transit routes at the border. Currently, for nearly a month, trade and passenger transit routes between the two countries are fully closed due to border conflicts.
The extensive use of Chabahar port provides Afghanistan the opportunity to access various regional and global markets, while simultaneously significantly reducing its commercial and transit dependency on Pakistani ports.