KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan exported more than 32,800 metric tons of figs last solar year that ended in March, generating more than $165 million in revenue, according to figures released by the Taliban-run Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Quoting by the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency, Abdul Salam Jawad, a Taliban spokesperson for the ministry, said the exports were sent to a range of countries, including India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Oman, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands.
Figs remain one of Afghanistan’s most important fruit exports, sold both fresh and dried to markets in the region and around the world.
Despite the reported growth in exports, traders continue to voice frustration over obstacles in the country’s export sector. Business owners have cited banking sanctions, visa restrictions, and a lack of facilities for processing dried fruits to international standards as key challenges.
They have called on the authorities to ease export procedures and create better infrastructure to support trade.
