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Updated August 24th, 2021 at 11:16 IST

India-Afghanistan trade disrupted post Taliban siege; price of spices, dry fruits to rise

The fall of Afghanistan govt has disrupted various markets in India including a surge in prices of dry fruits in Kanpur as imports from Afghanistan is disturbed

Reported by: Vidyashree S
Afghanistan
Credit: AP/SHUTTERSTOCK | Image:self
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The fall of the Afghanistan government and the seizure of power by the Taliban has hit the prices of dry fruits in India. Recently, Kanpur witnessed a surge in prices of dry fruits as imports from Afghanistan has been disrupted. 

Vice president of Nayaganj dry fruits market, Alankar Omar told ANI, "It is true that the prices of dry fruits here have increased as imports from Afghanistan have been disrupted."

He added, "We know a bit about the crisis of that country. We import pistachio, almond, fig, dried apricots from Afghanistan. The prices have increased by almost 15-20 percent". 

A customer said, "I came here to buy dry fruits for my family. I can observe that the prices of these products have increased. I hope that the crisis in that country gets resolved soon."

Afghanistan crisis hits Gujarat's textile traders

The Afghanistan crisis situation has hit textile traders and exporters from Gujarat’s textile hub Surat as payments worth more than Rs 100 crores have been stuck since the beginning of August. 

Head of the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SGCCI), Ashish, said, "Yes, it is true that payments for consignments dispatched from Surat have been stuck due to the political situation in Afghanistan. We don’t have the accurate figure but it’s a substantial amount since Surat is a major hub of textiles exports to countries like Afghanistan and Iran and several other countries".

Bansilal Jain, a trader, said, "We used to ship consignments regularly to Afghanistan via Dubai or Dhaka in Bangladesh. However, since the first COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, our supply chain has been severely affected. Only recently, some consignments were dispatched in May and June. There is some delay in the payment but it will hopefully be resolved since our agents in Dubai have assured us".

Taliban warns the US

On August 15, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan and now has warned the United States to face"consequences" in the event of an extension beyond August 31 on the stay of American troops in the war-torn nation. This announcement comes after US president Joe Biden, on Sunday, August 22, informed of discussions within his administration of possibly extending the deadline of the withdrawal of the US forces beyond August 31. 

(With ANI input)

(Image credit: AP/SHUTTERSTOCK)

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Published August 24th, 2021 at 11:16 IST

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