The import of fresh fruit from Afghanistan to Pakistan increased by 46 percent this fiscal year in comparison to the previous fiscal year 2014-15, when around 168,000 metric tonnes of fresh fruit was imported. This year 245,000 metric tonnes were imported during the first eight months of the fiscal year.
The value of fresh fruit imports from Afghanistan increased to Rs 11 billion as against Rs 5 billion in the last fiscal year. The duty and taxes on the imports of fresh fruit also jumped from Rs 643 million to Rs 1.8 billion during the current fiscal year, reflecting an increase of 182 percent over the last year. Among the imports, grapes remained the top commodity as around 162,000 metric tonnes of grapes were imported from Afghanistan, showing an increase of 42 percent. Apple imports also hugely increased, to 32,000 metric tonnes against the last year's import of 8,000 tonnes, showing an increase of 297 percent.
Similarly, pomegranate imports increased from 8,000 metric tonnes to 11,000 metric tonnes this year. As for exports from Pakistan to Afghanistan, they increased by 13 percent as against the last fiscal year from Peshawar.
Banana exports increased 45 percent, jumping from 32,000 metric tonnes to 46,000 metric tonnes. As a whole, the exports of fresh fruit from Pakistan to Afghanistan via Torkham increased from 73,000 metric tonnes to 196,000 metric tonnes, reflecting an increase of 168 percent.
