Pakistan stopped importing fruit from Afghanistan

According to the correspondent of Fars News Agency’s Afghanistan website, Pakistani media have reported that more than 200 trucks loaded with fresh and dry fruits from Afghanistan were delayed at Chaman Customs due to the protest of fresh fruit importers against the increase in customs tariff and the suspension of fruit imports from Afghanistan.

According to the newspaper Dan Pakistan, customs tariffs on Afghan fruit have increased from 20,000 rupees per ton to 95,000 rupees.

According to the customs authorities, 200 trucks have been stopped at Chaman border due to non-payment of customs duty by the importers and are waiting for the decision of the Pakistani authorities.

Grapes, pomegranates and other seasonal fruits loaded in trucks may spoil if customs are not opened for two to three days.

Pakistan customs officials also announced that the trucks that entered Chaman from Spin Boldak border were stopped at this place due to customs problems.

According to officials, the new tariff has already been announced to the fruit importers and they were informed about the new rates.

Also, Pakistani officials emphasized that the import of fruit from Afghanistan has been stopped until the new rate is determined.

According to the report of this Pakistani newspaper, with the suspension of fruit imports from Afghanistan, Pakistan will face a shortage of fresh fruit as orchards in Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been destroyed by floods.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce recently announced that it has decided to import onions and tomatoes from Afghanistan and Iran to deal with the price increase.

Naveed Qamar, Minister of Commerce of Pakistan, announced in a meeting that heavy rains and recent floods had a negative effect on the production of vegetables and reminded: It has been decided to facilitate the import of onions and tomatoes from Afghanistan and Iran to meet the needs of the country.

The members of the meeting stated that the country will face a shortage of onions and tomatoes in the next three months, and announced that the current flood has damaged the crops and that shortages and price increases are expected.

In this meeting, it was mentioned that the import of tomatoes and onions helps to supply and stabilize the price of these goods in the country.

Earlier, Qamar called for immediate measures to supply tomatoes and onions to consumers and stabilize the increase in the prices of these goods. The price of onion and tomato has reached 300 rupees per kg due to lack of supply in the market due to recent floods.

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