Afghani fresh fruit merchants are complaining of Pakistani officials’ attitude toward Afghanistan’s fresh fruit exporters. Chabahar port in Iran is viewed as a golden opportunity for Afghan businessmen to swiftly move their goods and services across borders.
The Chabahar port is 700 km from the Afghan border.
Orchard owners urged the government to explore markets for their produce. This year’s production of grapes is better, but they may not benefit farmers as the exports are confined to Pakistan and some other countries, due to the lack of a port on Afghan soil.
Eng. Abdul Baqi Beena, deputy head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), said 97 percent of grapes were exported to Pakistan and India. A small portion is also sent to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He said they were in contact with Iranian authorities to explore ways of getting fresh fruit exports from Afghanistan via Chabahar port.