New Delhi, Nov 17
Soon after Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership asked the business community to look for alternate trade routes following the closure of its volatile border with Pakistan over heightening tensions, Ariana Afghan Airlines has announced a reduction in cargo tariffs to and from India.
This decision comes amid reports from Kabul that the nation’s total export value in September-October exceeded 274 million dollars, while in the previous period of August–September, it was around 230 million dollars.
Most Afghan goods and products were exported to Turkiye, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. Afghanistan does not have a land route to India, where trade through Pakistan is fraught with several bureaucratic and regional complications.
“Before the (Pakistan) border closures, Ariana was charging $2 per kg for cargo between Delhi and Kabul. Now, it has been instructed to reduce the rate to 80 cents per kg from Delhi to Kabul and $1 per kg from Kabul to Delhi,” head of Ariana Afghan Airlines Bakht Rahman Sharafat told Tolo News.
Afghan products such as fresh and dried fruits, saffron, carpets, and other goods will now be transported to Indian markets at lower costs and in less time, the report added.
The new tariff is expected to stimulate Afghanistan’s trade sector at a critical moment for the country’s exporters, said an Ariana News report. It said that the change, introduced on Sunday under a directive from the Economic Deputy of the Prime Minister’s Office, is expected to benefit “key export items” due to faster transportation and reduced costs. Such commodities include fresh and dried fruits, saffron, carpets, and gemstones, among other goods.
The report pointed out that by reducing cargo rates, Ariana Afghan Airlines aimed to reduce logistical pressures on the country’s businesses and improve the reliability of export channels. It quoted trade experts saying the measure could help Afghanistan regain market share in key destinations such as India, the Gulf states and parts of Europe, where demand for Afghan agricultural products and textiles remains strong.
The reduced tariffs also underscore Ariana’s broader role in supporting national economic objectives, it said, adding, “As one of the few carriers with the capacity to connect Afghanistan to regional hubs, the airline’s pricing reforms position it as a central player in the country’s push to expand export volumes and attract new trading partners”.
Meanwhile, buoyed by the export figures, the Afghanistan Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock has further stressed the need for greater investment in processing domestic products to further increase exports.
Tolo News quoted Waseem Safi, the chamber’s executive director, “We must increase our exports, not just to neighboring countries, but also to markets in Europe and the US. From the very beginning, products should be prepared for export in a standard way.”
Earlier reports spoke of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment launching major efforts to market the country’s agricultural products.
Quoting the Ministry of Industry and Commerce statement, these added that Afghanistan currently exports 20 major products annually to neighboring, regional, and international markets. These products include cotton, dried figs, raisins, asafoetida and its seeds, coal, fresh and dried onions, tomatoes, apples, pistachios and almonds, pomegranates, saffron, cumin, grapes, mineral stones, lead, non-alcoholic beverages, energy drinks, and fruit juices.
