Goods supplied from Iran account for a fourth of all imports into Afghanistan, according to a trade attaché in the Iranian embassy in Kabul.
Hossein Rustayi said in a gathering in Tehran that Iran had exported $724 million worth of goods and commodities to Afghanistan in the four calendar months to late July, up 28% compared to the same period last year, Press TV reported.
Rustayi said that Afghanistan relies on import for 80% of its needs and Iran has been a main supplier of goods to the landlocked country.
He said that an improvement in security conditions in Afghanistan in the past two years had helped boost trade between the country and Iran.
The official said, however, that Iranian businesses needed to invest more in the manufacturing of certain products, including pharmaceuticals, construction materials, detergents and food in order to be able to maintain their share of the Afghan market in the coming years.
Rustayi said rivals like China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Pakistan are planning to increase their exports to Afghanistan.
Official figures show Iran’s exports to Afghanistan reached a total of $1.871 billion in the calendar year to late March, up 13.6% compared to the previous same period.
The exports rose 28% in volume terms to reach 3,414 metric tons over the past calendar year, the figures show.
Like other countries in the world, Iran has yet to recognize the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. However, the two neighboring countries have maintained trade and economic cooperation to help Afghanistan emerge from years of war and occupation.
Iran has held numerous trade fairs in Afghanistan while increasing the working hours of its border customs offices to expand its exports to the country.