Kapisa Traders Report Pomegranate Spoilage Amid Torkham Border Closure
Traders and orchard owners in Afghanistan’s Kapisa province have reported significant spoilage of pomegranate crops following the ongoing closure of the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Piwastoon, a local businessman, said the Taliban administration in Kapisa has only been able to collect preliminary information on the scale of damage and compile a list of affected individuals, which it has sent to the Ministry of Agriculture. According to him, the ministry has pledged to support orchard owners, but so far, no concrete steps have been taken.
Akajan, another trader, stated that several trucks carrying commercial goods—including numerous crates of pomegranates—have been stranded en route to Torkham, and some of the goods have spoiled due to prolonged exposure to heat.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock has confirmed the issue and stressed that the Taliban administration must implement effective solutions to support Afghan farmers and merchants. Mirwais Hajizadeh, the deputy head of the chamber, said a lack of trust between the Taliban administration and the Pakistani government has cast a shadow over trade between the two countries. He warned that prolonged disruption could further damage the Afghan economy.
He added that developing alternative trade routes and rebuilding trust between both sides could help mitigate the crisis. However, the current leadership’s failure to address the urgent needs of traders suggests the Taliban lacks the capacity to manage economic crises.
Previously, the Afghanistan-Pakistan Joint Chamber of Commerce reported that the closure of trade routes between the two countries had caused millions of dollars in losses to traders, with over 500 trucks carrying fruits and vegetables left to spoil along the route.
