Facilitate Afghan dry fruits export to India via Chabahar: Taliban to Iran

Afghan exports to India include dried raisins, walnuts, almonds, figs, pine nuts, pistachios, dried apricot and fresh fruits such as apricot, cherry, watermelon, and a few medicinal herbs.

The Taliban has been realising that governance is a tough nut to crack. To restart the export of fresh and dry fruits, a major revenue earner, they have approached Iran for help.

Iran’s Tasnim News is reporting that Tehran has agreed to evaluate Taliban’s proposals for the transportation of Afghanistan’s trade cargoes and export of fresh and dried fruits to India via the Chabahar route.

The Taliban submitted the detailed plan last week when representatives of both countries signed a comprehensive trade agreement. Iran and the Taliban have agreed to maintain round-the-clock operation at the Islam Qala-Dogarun border crossing and take practical measures to improve and develop the land routes at the border crossing.

In principle, Iran has agreed to allow Afghan traders to export fresh and dried fruits to India via Dogarun-Chabahar route which was closed after Taliban's capture of Afghanistan.

This year, exporters have to exclusively rely on land routes to ship their products as there are no air cargo flights available yet. Most of the Afghan traders have been using this route to Afghanistan through the 7200-km long International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which passes through neighbouring Iran. Cargoes are then shipped from Chabahar port, Iran to western ports such as Mumbai. But that route was closed in July by Iran citing security concerns. After the Taliban came to power, they banned the export and imports to India. But now, under enormous economic pressure, the new regime has decided to rethink its stance. India imports around 85 per cent of its dry fruits from the war-torn country.

Afghanistan has witnessed a bumper dry fruit harvest this year. As a result, exporters are in touch with Indian buyers despite the current situation. Generally, exports of dry fruits start in September, just before the beginning of the festival season.