Exports to Afghanistan decline with sugar export cut

ISLAMABAD: As sugar exports slowed, Pakistani exports to Afghanistan also declined. In February, Pakistani exports to Afghanistan fell by 52pc on a monthly basis and 30pc on an annual basis, after which Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan last month were the lowest of the current fiscal year.

Government sources say that sugar exports almost came to an end in February. Some trade barriers and reduced demand for Pakistani goods in Afghanistan can be cited as possible reasons for the decline in exports. Exports to Afghanistan decreased by 52pc in February compared to January 2025 and by 30pc in February 2025 compared to February 2024. Sugar exports to Afghanistan in February were less than $100,000. Sources say that last month, Pakistani exports to Afghanistan were $73 million, compared to $152 million in January 2025 and $104 million in February 2024.

According to sources, overall exports to Afghanistan increased in the first eight months of the current fiscal year due to exceptional sugar exports to Afghanistan during July 2024 to January 2025. Pakistani exports to Afghanistan increased by 45pc in the first 8 months of the current fiscal year, after which the volume of exports to Afghanistan reached $979 million.

Exports to Afghanistan in the same period last year were $673 million. According to sources, sugar accounted for the largest share of exports to Afghanistan in the first eight months of the current fiscal year.