KABUL (SW) – Afghanistan established air corridor for direct trade with China on Tuesday with first consignment of pine nuts destined for Shanghai.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani said on the occasion the hidden treasures of Afghanistan must be transformed into national treasures, and every year November 06 should be celebrated as ‘National Day of Pine Nuts’. He lamented the fact that Afghanistan’s products were being exported globally via neighboring countries through their own labels for decades.
Underlining the importance of quality processing and packaging, Ghani said export of pine nuts can improve the image of the country just as the achievements in the sports of cricket has.
Up to 20 tons of pine nuts were exported to China on the first day, and it is hoped exports to China alone would fetch up to $ 800 million annually.
Azaraksh Hafizi, director international affairs at the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, told Salam Watandar on the occasion the export of pine nuts to China is going to prove very profitable. He said Iran and Pakistan were exporting the Afghan black pine nuts in the past with their own labels.
Afghanistan has already established similar air corridors with India, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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