(MENAFN- Daily Outlook Afghanistan) KABUL – The export of fresh fruits and vegetable has been stopped in a protest to the increasing tax on Afghan goods by Pakistani authorities, an official said on Saturday.
Khan Jan Alkozai, deputy head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, told reporters here Pakistan increased its custom duties on around 700 types of imported goods as local revenue of the neighboring country declined.
Fresh and dry fruits, carpets, vegetable, herbal, coal precious and semi precious stones are among those exported goods from Afghanistan to Pakistan that came under the new policy of custom duties surge by Pakistan.
Earlier, 8,000 rupees charged on one tonne of grapes but now the amount soared to 28,000 while the earlier custom duty on Pomegranate was 8,000 rupees which now increased to 21,000 rupees, Alkozai said.
He said Pakistan recently provided some facilities on Durand line for Afghan traders and businessmen from Pakistan imported 133,000 tonnes of fresh fruits from Afghanistan.
'The enemy of Afghanistan could not afford the development of Afghanistan's economy and imposed increased tariff on fruits which is currently available and could not be kept for a long period, said Alkozai.
He said ACCI shared the issue with the Ministry of Commerce and Industries and Foreign Ministry and demanded them to stop Pakistan from increasing custom duties on Afghan goods.
Alkozai said Afghanistan was the member of South Asia Association for Regional Countries (SAARC), Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) and South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA). Being the member of this organisation Pakistan did not have the right to increase custom duty on Afghanistan good, he recalled.
The ACCI deputy director said Afghan traders stopped export of vegetables and fresh fruits to Pakistan in protest to the surge in custom duty asking the Pakistani and Afghan government to cancel it. (Pajhwok)
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