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29-05-2022
Bureau Report
KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: 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.
In the meantime, some woodsellers in Kabul said that due to the high price of coal in the country’s market they could not buy coal for the winter.
According to local traders, the rising price of coal has also had a negative impact on the price of wood.
“When there is no coal in the market, the prices of wood goes up, and in only one month it has increased by almost a thousand Afghani per ton,” said Abdul Aziz, a wood seller.
“Coal prices have risen, which is why wood sellers have not been able to store coal because prices are high,” said Ahmad, a wood seller.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said that currently four local companies in the Northern provinces are engaged in the extraction of coal mines in the country.
Afghanistan’s coal mines start from the Hindu Kush Mountains in Badakhshan province and continue to Herat province.
The export of Afghan coal has increased by 16% compared to the same period of the previous year.
“The majority of our exportation is to Pakistan. Some traders export the coal from Pakistan to other countries,” said Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.
The price of coal has increased in the markets.
The Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines (ACIM) called the worldwide surge in the price of energy as the reason for the increase in the exports of Afghan coal.
“Due to a surge in the price of fuel in the international market, the exportation of coal to Pakistan has been significantly increased,” said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, head of the ACIM.
“Previously, Pakistan was importing coal from Australia. Now the prices have increased and made it ten times more expensive by sea. Afghanistan is a discount for Pakistan,” said Azeraksh Hafizi, an economist.
