Afghanistan has offered to export high calorific value coal and base metals like copper and rare earth minerals to India. “There is $3 billion worth of untapped trade potential between India and Afghanistan. Indian companies can export heavy machineries, textile, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and fertilizers, while Afghanistan can export high quality coal, precious and semi-precious stones, gems, copper and rare earth minerals,” said Farid Mamundzay, Ambassador of Afghanistan to India.
India can import coal of high calorific value (upto 12,000 kCal/Kg) at affordable cost from Afghanistan, instead of relying on distant countries such as Indonesia and Australia, said the ambassador of the landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Mamundzay added, “Afghanistan can be a conduit for Indian exports of agricultural machinery, pharma, chemicals and other goods to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries. Overall, there is USD 7 billion worth of untapped trade potential within South Asia and Central Asian countries”.
Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, MVIRDC WTC Mumbai said, ““India has centuries-old trade and cultural relations with Afghanistan. Both the countries should work together to implement the long-delayed India- Afghanistan-Iran transport corridor which can reduce transport cost for intra-regional trade within South and Central Asia. India’s power production will get a major boost if we import high calorific value coal from Afghanistan.”
Kalantri further added, “Both the countries can exchange trade delegations to enhance trade volume, which has potential to double to USD 3 billion from USD 1.5 billion, which was the pre-pandemic high reached in FY20. We can strengthen trade through the Delhi-Kabul air corridor and the Chabahar Port, which is free from the US sanction and which is the shortest route to Afghanistan and central Asia.”
source: chemindigest