Afghanistan’s coal exports to Pakistan have surged. The Ministry of Finance said that since the Islamic Emirate came to power, two million tons of coal have been exported abroad, especially to Pakistan.
Rising Afghan coal exports to Pakistan have caused an increase in fuel prices domestically, especially for wood and coal.
“Since the Islamic Emirate came to power, we have exported more than two million tons of coal and because of this we have earned more than four billion afghanis,” said Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.
Haqmal added that the ministry had increased tariffs on coal exports by 10 percent.
Following the rise in world coal prices, Pakistan has turned to Afghan coal.
Reuters reports that Indonesia’s ban on coal exports and the war in Ukraine have pushed coal prices to new heights.
Islamabad could import up to 500,000 tons of coal a month from Afghanistan, Reuters quoted a Pakistani official as saying.
Meanwhile, the Chamber of Industries and Mines (ACCI) said rising coal prices in Kabul markets are having a negative impact on the country’s manufacturing plants.
“The surge in the exports of coal to Pakistan is good news, but (local) industry now faces a 100 percent increase in coal prices in domestic markets,” said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, head of the Chamber of Industries and Mines.—TOTL
