Pomegranate growers, traders suffer losses due to border closure

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Pomegranate growers and fresh fruit traders in southern Kandahar province say exports have been at a standstill due to the closure of Spin Boldak port and they fear the fruit will spoil in orchards.

On the other hand, officials of Kandahar Chamber of Commerce said that the Spin Boldak-Chaman route has been closed for exports, imports and traffic since the last two weeks which has caused economic problems.

Engineer Abdul BaqiBina, deputy head of Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Pajhwok Afghan News that some shipments of pomegranate were exported to Pakistan through Spin Boldak in the beginning of the fruit’s season, but later it stopped.

He added that if the road’s closure continued, there would be serious economic losses to pomegranate growers, as the fruit would spoil as there is no storage facility in Kandahar.

“Hundreds of commercial trucks are stopped, some dried fruit traders tried to use Torkham port, there were also problems because most of Afghanistan’s exports are going through Torkham where there is a high traffic,” he said.

Bina said he had talked to officials in Kabul about reopening of the route and asked them to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Pomegranate traders also say that the route closures have not only damaged the fruit, but also reduced their prices.

Sardar Mohammad, a pomegranate trader, told Pajhwok that the drought had affected the fruit production this year, and now closure of borders was another problem for them.

“Routes are closed, a high amount of the fruit is already spoiled, prices have dropped, a carton of pomegranates that used to sell for 350 or 450afghanis is now sold for five afghanis,” he said.

Pakistan has always created problems when the fruits harvest season arrives in Afghanistan and the country closes the border crossings under different pretexts, he said.

Gardeners and traders say they are the main sufferers of border closures as they waited the whole year for the season, but when it arrived, the borders are closed.

They said that air corridors should be reactivated so traders would be able to export fresh fruits to European and other states.

Akhtar Mohammad, who owns a pomegranate orchard in Arghandab district of Kandahar, said that Pakistan often created problems for exports, and for that reason, air corridors were important for export of fruits through air.

“If the current administration opens up air corridors, reduces taxes, traders will be able to offer dried and fresh fruits to the world markets, this will greatly benefit the country’s economy,” he added.

He says the land routes through Pakistan are always fraught with problems and traders have always suffered heavy financial losses.

Pomegranate sellers also say that routes closures have negatively affected their business, and the fruit is currently exported to only provinces inside the country.

Mohammad Awaz, a pomegranate seller, says the orchards are full of the fruit, but people do not collect them as routes are closed for exports.

He asked officials concerned to take urgent steps for resolving the problem.

Spin Boldak-Chaman port remains shut since the last two weeks and it is unclear when will it reopen.

A few days ago, MaulviRahmatullah, information and culture director of Kandahar had said that the local administration had decided to close the Spin Boldak-Chaman border after Pakistan failed to deliver on its promises.

He said that the border will remain shut until the Pakistani side takes action for resolving the problem.

For the past two months or so since the Taliban took control of the country, people and businesses have been facing serious problems in exports and imports with Pakistan.

Earlier, the Spin Boldak-Chaman road used to open at 7am and close at 6pm, but recently it opened on 8am and closed on 4pm.

Exports, imports and transit trade of Afghanistan on routes with Pakistan have cut by 80 percent as a result of these problems.

Mds/ma