The Afghan Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that the country’s trade volume with Central Asian countries in the first five months of 2026 has reached more than $1.27 billion. However, Afghanistan’s export share of this figure was only about $74 million, and the rest was imports from these countries.
Publish dateSaturday 30 May 2026 - 08:36
Story Code : 356260
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: Abdul Salam Jawad Akhundzada, spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, told Tolo News, “There were about $74 million in exports and $1.20 billion in imports.”
These figures indicate a significant gap in Afghanistan’s trade balance with Central Asian countries; a region that is known as one of the emerging markets for Afghan goods.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the main goods exported by Afghanistan to Central Asian countries are agricultural and mineral products. Dried fruits, fresh fruits, talc, vegetables, medicinal plants and various types of juices are among the most important items exported by Afghanistan to this region. Products such as potatoes, onions and ginger are also included in Afghanistan’s export basket.
Challenges faced by Afghan traders
Despite the increase in trade levels, a number of Afghan traders say that there are still serious obstacles to the development of the country’s exports. Lack of banking facilities, transit challenges and high costs of transporting goods are among the problems that, according to private sector activists, have prevented further growth of Afghanistan’s exports to regional markets.
Mahboobullah Mohammadi, an Afghan trader, told Tolo News in this regard: “The more our products are marketed in Central Asian markets and regular trade programs are established, the more our exports will increase.”
Economic experts also believe that developing trade ties with Central Asian countries can be an effective strategy to reduce Afghanistan's dependence on traditional limited markets and provide access for domestic products to new regional markets.
Economic expert Abdul Ghaffar Nizami said, referring to the need to diversify Afghanistan's trade partners: "Afghanistan's economic dependence is mostly on eastern countries, which has not been very useful and effective for Afghanistan; therefore, it is better for Afghanistan to take advantage of other opportunities."
According to analysts, Central Asia, with its growing population and increasing need for agricultural and mineral products, can become a strategic destination for Afghan exports, provided that the necessary infrastructure is provided to facilitate trade and banking and transit barriers are removed.
These statistics are being published while the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment had previously announced that in the past eight months, several memorandums of understanding and 13 contracts worth more than $5 billion have been signed between the Afghan private sector and regional countries, and the level of trade exchanges has also increased. This trend reflects Kabul's strong determination to expand economic relations with its neighbors and regional countries. However, analysts emphasize that to fully exploit existing capacities, policies supporting domestic producers must be strengthened and structural barriers to Afghanistan's foreign trade must be removed.
These figures indicate a significant gap in Afghanistan’s trade balance with Central Asian countries; a region that is known as one of the emerging markets for Afghan goods.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the main goods exported by Afghanistan to Central Asian countries are agricultural and mineral products. Dried fruits, fresh fruits, talc, vegetables, medicinal plants and various types of juices are among the most important items exported by Afghanistan to this region. Products such as potatoes, onions and ginger are also included in Afghanistan’s export basket.
Challenges faced by Afghan traders
Despite the increase in trade levels, a number of Afghan traders say that there are still serious obstacles to the development of the country’s exports. Lack of banking facilities, transit challenges and high costs of transporting goods are among the problems that, according to private sector activists, have prevented further growth of Afghanistan’s exports to regional markets.
Mahboobullah Mohammadi, an Afghan trader, told Tolo News in this regard: “The more our products are marketed in Central Asian markets and regular trade programs are established, the more our exports will increase.”
Economic experts also believe that developing trade ties with Central Asian countries can be an effective strategy to reduce Afghanistan's dependence on traditional limited markets and provide access for domestic products to new regional markets.
Economic expert Abdul Ghaffar Nizami said, referring to the need to diversify Afghanistan's trade partners: "Afghanistan's economic dependence is mostly on eastern countries, which has not been very useful and effective for Afghanistan; therefore, it is better for Afghanistan to take advantage of other opportunities."
According to analysts, Central Asia, with its growing population and increasing need for agricultural and mineral products, can become a strategic destination for Afghan exports, provided that the necessary infrastructure is provided to facilitate trade and banking and transit barriers are removed.
These statistics are being published while the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment had previously announced that in the past eight months, several memorandums of understanding and 13 contracts worth more than $5 billion have been signed between the Afghan private sector and regional countries, and the level of trade exchanges has also increased. This trend reflects Kabul's strong determination to expand economic relations with its neighbors and regional countries. However, analysts emphasize that to fully exploit existing capacities, policies supporting domestic producers must be strengthened and structural barriers to Afghanistan's foreign trade must be removed.
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