While the Taliban administration speaks of expanding economic cooperation with Kazakhstan, official Kazakh data show that trade between the two countries reached about $508 million in the first six months of 2026, with the vast majority made up of Kazakh exports to Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
According to the data, of the total trade between the two countries, about $501 million was Kazakh exports to Afghanistan, while Afghan exports to Kazakhstan were reported at only $6.7 million. The figures point to a sharply imbalanced trade balance between the two sides.<\/p>\n
The Taliban governor’s office in Herat said on Sunday, citing Yerkin Tukumov, Kazakhstan’s special representative for Afghanistan, that the two countries are seeking to expand trade, transit and economic cooperation. According to him, trade between the two countries over the past six months stood at $581 million, and both sides have stressed the need to increase transit capacity and make trade procedures easier.<\/p>\n
However, the figures released by official Kazakh institutions differ from the number announced by the Taliban governor’s office in Herat. The discrepancy between the two sides’ statistics, along with the clear imbalance in exports and imports, presents an uneven picture of trade relations between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n
Wheat, flour, vegetable oil, legumes, sugar, fuel, steel products and transport vehicles are among Kazakhstan’s main exports to Afghanistan. In return, Afghanistan mainly exports fruit, soft drinks, carpets, talc and chromite to Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n
The Taliban administration had previously said the two sides were seeking to raise trade volume to $3 billion. On July 22, 2026, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister also visited Kabul, and the Taliban claimed that during the meeting, they discussed a roadmap for expanding cooperation in agriculture, transport, mining, railways, industry, banking services and transit.<\/p>\n
According to the Taliban administration, the plan emphasised the use of national currencies, cooperation in financial markets, the creation of a joint centre involving Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and the construction of a logistics centre for Afghanistan’s imported goods at Khorgos port.<\/p>\n
According to data from the Trading Economics website, the highest level of trade between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan was recorded in 2017, when its value reached about $867 million. That figure fell to about $522 million in 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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