Afghanistan Ministry of Finance (MoF) has banned trafficking of wheat to outside as the country will probably face with the shortage of wheat in the future. This comes as Afghanistan has imported its necessary wheat from outside for long years. In the previous years, there has been trafficking of wheat to Pakistan and Iran and previous government could have prevented people from wheat trafficking to outside. Recently, the country’s ministry of finance has banned both legal exports and trafficking of wheat to foreign countries so that the people not to face with shortage of wheat in the country. A number of Afghan citizens by welcoming the Islamic Emirate step are asking for banning all illegal trafficking of foodstuffs to foreign countries.
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has ordered all customs of the country to not allow people and traders to legally or illegally wheat exports to neighboring countries. Based on information of the ministry of agriculture irrigation and livestock, that, Afghanistan faces with the shortage of wheat from 1.5 – 3million tons each year and trafficking of wheat will further face the country with problems. According to the ministry of agriculture irrigation and livestock, Afghanistan faces the shortage of wheat each year particularly during the continued drought in the country.
“All customhouses and ports have been instructed to prevent wheat exports. We have not faced this problem so far, but the order has been issues to make sure wheat is not trafficked outside the country,” said Misbahuddin Mustaeen, a spokesperson to the ministry of agriculture irrigation and livestock. Meanwhile, acting minister of finance Hedayatullah Badri says a number of individuals are trying to traffic wheat to Iran and Pakistan; therefore, all are informed not to allow a single grain of wheat to outside. On the other hand, the country’s chamber of entrepreneurs have claimed that Afghan wheat has started to be trafficked to Iran and Pakistan in recent weeks.
“Flour is being trafficked to Pakistan, which has put negative impacts on prices of flour in the country,” said Noorulhaq Omari, head of the chamber of entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile, former deputy minister of commerce and industries says due to continued war in Ukraine, a large number of countries are facing with the shortage of wheat; therefore, trafficking of Afghan wheat to the outside will further harm Afghanistan.
Based on information of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Russia has stopped its wheat exports to Kazakhstan too. This comes as Afghanistan imports its wheat and flour from Russia and Kazakhstan.
Wheat is considered as the most significant agricultural product in the world and key and main food of the people of Afghanistan.
It had been insisted in the country’s 5-year national wheat strategy that Afghanistan should have reached to its self-sufficiency in wheat by 2020, but the country still has not been self-sufficient as it is still importing its wheat from outside.
Based on statistics of the country’s ministry of agriculture irrigation and livestock, Afghanistan has nearly 7.8 million hectares of land for cultivation as nearly 3.3 million hectares of land is for various agricultural products and 3.3 million hectare filed is allocated for the cultivation of wheat in the country. Amiri
Afghanistan bans wheat trafficking to foreign countries
