Afghanistan has exported fruit to India through Iran’s strategic port of Chabahar for the first time since the corridor was opened several months ago.
The exported fruit contained 20 tons of Afghan grapes that took a week to arrive in Iran’s southern Chabahar Port, that is being operated by India.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Ajmal Ahmady tweeted that such exports will continue and grow in the future.
“We will soon begin exports of pomegranate & apple via Chabahar to India,” tweeted Ahmday.
Chabahar Port, part of which is being operated by India, called Shahid Beheshti Port, is Iran’s only oceanic port, linking Central with East and South Asia.
Under a 10-year lease, India will develop and operate the port to export to Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan, and later to Central Asia.
A screenshot of a map showing how Chabahar Port in Iran can link India with Afghanistan ande vice versa
The Afghan minister says exports to India via Chabahar will increase. The country has exported 100 tons of “domestic products” during the past three weeks to India via the Iranian port, according to Ahmady, who added that Kabul has sent 700 tons of goods to India via Chabahar since it was established several months ago.
Back in February, Afghanistan officially started exports to India by dispatching the first convoy of cargo that consisted of Afghan carpets, dry fruits, cotton, talc, stones and other items weighing 570 tons, Indian channel WION (World Is One) reported.
150 Afghan businesses have invested 50 million dollars in Chabahar Port.
The Chabahar project is a major connectivity program which will help India connect not only with landlocked Afghanistan but also Central Asia. The project is also part of the International North-South Corridor that will connect Mumbai to Moscow via Iran and Azerbaijan.
India has already established shipping links with the port with Indian ships going there every 2 weeks from 3 Indian ports Mumbai, Kandla and Mundra. Commercial operations at the port began on 30th December 2018 with India formally taking over operations of a part of the Shahid Beheshti Port on 24th December 2018.
In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed an agreement on the establishment of a Transit and Transport Corridor among the three countries using Chabahar Port as the regional hub for sea transportation.