AFGHANISTAN: First Shipment Of Afghan Pomegranates To Reach Russia In Decades

Khaama Press, Afghanistan

First shipment of Afghan pomegranates to reach Russia in decades

written by Staff

Friday July 4, 2014

An Afghan trader, Haji Saif Noorna, from southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan dispatched the first shipment of Afghan pomegranates to Russia.

The 22.5 metric tons of pomegranates was dispatched with the support of United States Agency for International Development.

This was the first shipment of Afghan pomegranates to reach Russia in decades after Afghanistan’s trade ties fallen into disrepair because of decades of conflict.

The shipment It travelled through the Pakistani port city of Karachi and took 55 days to reach its destination.

The fruit would surely have spoiled had it not been refrigerated, a message emphasized by USAID’s Commercial Horticulture and Marketing Program (CHAMP), which has been supporting Afghan farmers’ bid to build trade ties with Russian cities such as Moscow and Ufa.

Mr. Nooran is planning other shipments to Russia now that his first was judged a success. It marked a milestone in Afghanistan’s attempts to market its famous pomegranates beyond its shores.

CHAMP has supported this by demystifying Russia’s customs and import regulations for Afghan traders, supporting Afghan farmers’ training in fruit-handling and storage, sorting, grading and packing.