Afghanistan Exports 1,100 Tons of Black Pine Nuts

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that in the first eleven months of the current solar year, more than 1,100 tons of Afghanistan’s black pine nuts have been exported to various countries.

According to the ministry, the value of this amount of pine nuts exceeds 14 million dollars, with the main export destinations being China, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Jordan, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, and Turkey.

However, statistics indicate that the export of black pine nuts has decreased this year compared to the same period last year.

“During 11 months of the year 1403, around 1,100 tons of pine nuts worth more than 14 million dollars have been exported to various countries,” said Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Some economic experts believe that increasing efforts for global marketing of this product could generate significant revenue for Afghanistan.

“Black pine nuts are a highly valuable product with many buyers in global markets. The more we focus on their export, not only will national revenue increase, but new job opportunities will also be created,” said Abdul Nasir Reshtia, an economic expert.

“Afghanistan’s dried fruits have a high reputation globally. If we can invest in the packaging and processing of these products, we can maintain and strengthen Afghanistan’s position in international markets,”  said economic expert Mohammad Nabi Afghan.

Despite Afghanistan’s high potential for dried fruit exports, challenges such as banking restrictions, the lack of standard processing factories, reduced air transportation, and business visa issues remain major obstacles to the development of this industry.