The Taliban-run Ministry of Industry and Commerce said Afghanistan’s trade volume reached $6.78 billion in the first six months of the current solar year, a 30% increase compared with the same period last year.
Abdul Salam Jawad, a Taliban spokesman for the ministry, said exports totaled $748 million during the period, up 9% from $685 million a year earlier. Imports rose 21% to $6.03 billion, he said.
According to ministry figures, Afghanistan’s main exports included figs, raisins, apricots, pistachios, saffron, grapes and beverages, mostly sent to Pakistan, India, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Iran, China and Iraq. Imports consisted largely of fuel, food, textiles, machinery, cement and other goods from Iran, the UAE, Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and India.
Economic experts, however, say that despite the Taliban’s claims, Afghanistan’s economy remains in crisis. They cite the cutoff of foreign aid, limited access to the global banking system, a sharp decline in foreign investment, lack of transparency in resource management and heavy reliance on imports as key obstacles.
International sanctions and the Taliban’s lack of recognition have also left Afghan businesses and exporters struggling to transfer money and expand markets abroad.
Analysts warn that the imbalance between exports and imports — with imports far outweighing exports — continues to keep Afghanistan’s economy fragile.
