The country's exports have grown by more than 100 percent over the past three years/The highest trade in the past year has been with Iran

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: Despite the propaganda of some biased and Western-affiliated media outlets about the economic recession and the decline of Afghanistan's trade with regional and world countries, Abdul Salam Javad Akhundzada, spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said in an interview with AVA that until 1400, Afghanistan's trade had not increased from $850 million annually, but after the transformation and establishment of the Islamic Emirate, the amount of trade has now reached more than two billion dollars.
Akhundzada explained: Afghanistan's total trade in 2024 was 12 billion 422 million US dollars, of which the country's exports in 2024 were about 1 billion 830 million dollars and imports were about 10 billion 619 million dollars.
Akhundzada continued: In 2023, Afghanistan had about 1 billion 884 million dollars in exports and about 7 billion 710 million dollars in imports. These figures show that Afghanistan's exports of products in 2024 decreased by about four percent compared to 2023, and imports increased by 38 percent compared to the previous year.
Akhunzada also explained: Despite all the challenges facing Afghan trade, current statistics show that Afghan exports have stopped fluctuating and are gradually stabilizing. 
He emphasized: Despite media propaganda and considering the 38 percent increase in imports, it can be said that both the purchasing power of the Afghan people has increased and the private sector has benefited from the support and cooperation of the Islamic Emirate in terms of tariffs.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce stated: Afghanistan's exports this year have decreased compared to last year with Pakistan and China, but have increased with countries such as Turkey and India. Most importantly, Afghanistan's exports this year with four neighboring and Arab countries, such as Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates, have doubled.
He added that figs, raisins, asafoetida and coal have been among the country's top export items, which have been exported to various countries in the region and the world.
According to Akhundzada, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and China have been among Afghanistan's top import countries in recent times.
Finally, although the spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the exact statistics and figures of trade with each country are not yet known independently and accurately, on November 26, 2014, he announced that during the first seven months of 1403, the amount of trade exchanges between Afghanistan and Iran had reached more than 1.8 billion US dollars.
Akhundzada also said that most of the country's major export items were minerals, raisins, various beverages, and sesame seeds, and the major import items were diesel fuel, gasoline, raw materials for manufacturing, liquefied gas, and cement.
On the other hand, Iranian officials also said that since the beginning of this year, the amount of exports of non-oil goods to Afghanistan has increased to 1.3 billion dollars.

Developing trade and strengthening economic relations between Afghanistan and Iran
Meanwhile, Jan Agha Navid, spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said in an interview with AVA that according to the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, Afghanistan has had the most trade and transit with Iran this year and it is still expanding.
He also said that imports from Iran have advantages for Afghanistan that other countries do not have, because due to the short routes, on the one hand, savings are made and costs are reduced, and at the same time, there are no transit problems between the two countries to prevent the transfer of goods.
According to Navid, Pakistan was previously at the top of the table in terms of trade and transit with Afghanistan, but recently, due to political and military tensions, Pakistan has created problems on transit routes, such as the Karachi port and other ports, especially at the supposed points of the Durand Line, which ultimately led to a decrease in trade and exchanges of goods between the two countries.

Investments in Afghanistan have increased
The spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce and Investment also noted that foreign and domestic investments have increased compared to previous years.
Although Navid did not provide further details in this regard, he said that the exact figures of the amount of investments will be published by the Central Statistics Office by February of this year.
Navid emphasized that a large number of national and international businessmen are interested in investing in Afghanistan, but the issue of creating more infrastructure and also providing a suitable environment for investments is very important and more efforts should be made by the government in this regard.

The air corridor remains an important option for Afghanistan’s commercial exports
The spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce and Investment continued his speech by saying that the air corridor, although not currently being properly sponsored and supported, is still considered an important option for Afghanistan’s commercial exports.
He emphasized that the air corridor is still active with many countries, including China, Arab countries, and countries in the European Union, and that Afghan products, especially dried fruits and high-priced, low-weight goods, are exported via air cargo.
He added that the Chamber of Commerce and Investment believes that the air corridor should be supported by the government and international institutions, especially those that seek to expand regional and international trade, so that Afghan products can be delivered to remote parts of the world that are not possible by land.
These statements are made while economic experts also praise the efforts of the authorities to develop trade and expand economic relations with countries in the region and the world, but emphasize solving fundamental problems and developing economic infrastructure.

Fundamental problems of trade must be solved and the system updated
In an interview with AVA, economic expert Mohammad Nabi Afghan said that "Afghan authorities are making great efforts in the current situation, in the field of trade and transit, but we have fundamental problems that must be addressed first."
According to Afghan, the lack of a system, disorganization in the system or the lack of infrastructure, and the disorganization of administrative departments have mainly caused these problems and the complex economic situation not to be resolved immediately and in the short term.
Afghan added: "Our efforts should be on how to make our geographical location effective, how to become an economy-oriented country or how to become the crossroads of Asia, these are very important issues."
This economic expert adds: Currently, there is a great deal of effort to develop trade, but the technical and specialized sectors are still not fully active, so we cannot move forward with the current era.
Stating that problems in the economic field and the lack of infrastructure have existed in the country since the past, he added: It seems that the current authorities are very determined and are trying to fully activate this transit position of the country, which everyone in the region needs, but this issue is actually time-consuming and we must continuously work on this path.
He clarified that trade will develop when, along with human resources, travel, and physical work and activities, as well as having relations with countries in the region and the world, we move fundamentally and update and update the trade and economic system, so that the country's economy becomes stable and sustainable.
Afghan also stated that if we blindly say that the Afghan economy is moving towards recovery, this judgment will be premature, because we have not yet balanced the balance and taken fundamental steps in this regard.
He emphasized that "we must first become self-sufficient in electricity, then we can say that our economic growth is going well. Currently, there are several types of goods and commercial assets that are exported to several countries, while the main economic resources, which are underground reserves and..., have remained almost untouched and many steps need to be taken in these areas.
He also added that in order to improve trade relations, Afghanistan's neighbors must also be assured that there is currently security in this land and that there is no smuggling of goods, so that investors can invest without worries.
According to Afghan, "Afghan's neighbors have always used two things as an excuse, namely; There is no security in Afghanistan and goods are smuggled from this land and we do not allow smuggling, which is why sometimes Afghan commercial goods are loaded and searched at the borders. According to Afghans, stopping trucks at the borders under various pretexts costs money and quickly corrupts goods, ultimately causing traders to lose money. 

It is worth noting that on Saturday this week, the 16th of the Islamic calendar year, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that Afghanistan had traded with various countries worth $12.422 billion in 2024.

The ministry listed Afghanistan's export value during this period as $1.803 billion, a four percent decrease compared to 2023. According to the Ministry of Commerce, the country's total import value in 2024 was $10.619 billion.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce considers the 38 percent increase in imports as a sign of increased public purchases and improved family economies, as well as the four percent decrease in exports as signs of economic order and stability in the country.