Over $1.8 billion in trade with Iran in past 11 months: MOIC

KABUL (TOLOnews): The Ministry of Industry and Commerce said that in the past 11 months of the current year 1402 (solar year), trade has been done with Iran worth $1.8 billion dollars. The officials of this ministry gave statistics that out of this, only nearly $30 million are exports and the rest are imports from this country.
According to them, the most exported items are cotton, raisins, almonds, sesame and watermelon seeds. Nooruddin Azizi, acting minister of Industry and Commerce, in a meeting with Abolfazl Chamandi, the Iran’s deputy economic affairs coordinator of Khorasan Razavi Governorate, discussed expanding trade relations between the two countries.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, said: “In this meeting, Abolfazl Chamandi, the deputy economic affairs coordinator of Khorasan Razavi Governorate, said that they have come to provide information on the progress of activities regarding the agreements that were made between the two countries during the recent visit of the deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of this country, and we are moving step by step to implement the agreements. Razavi described the trade relations between the two countries as growing.”
Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that the high customs tariffs of Iran is one of the reasons for a decrease in exports to that country and serious attention must b paid to the issue.
Mirwais Hotak, head of the board of directors at ACCI, said: “If we have a memorandum of agreement with them and the preferential tariff is taken into consideration and the problems we have in transit, in transportation and in customs, it is clear that our exports to Iran will increase.”
At the same time, a number of business people said that in addition to increasing trade with Iran, there is a need to facilitate transit through Iran so that business people can develop their business with India and China through Chabahar port.
“We want the Islamic Emirate to talk to India and Iran to activate the Chabahar port soon, and through the Chabahar port we can build our way to Asia, Europe and China,” Zalmay Azimi, a businessman told TOLOnews.
Meanwhile, the acting Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock has discussed Iran’s investments in livestock, agriculture, irrigation and horticulture sectors in a meeting with the deputy ambassador of Iran’s embassy in Kabul, and the deputy economic affairs coordinator of Khorasan Razavi Governorate.
Mesbahuddin Mustaeen, the spokesperson of the ministry, said: “In this meeting, the Iranian delegation discussed work and investment in Afghanistan and increasing Iranian investment in the country.”
Earlier, a delegation from Iran came to Afghanistan and discussed Iran’s investments in Afghanistan, trade development, and the establishment of Afghanistan-Iran Joint Chamber of Commerce with the officials of the Islamic Emirate.