Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Sunday flagged off the first Afghan cargo from western Nimroz province that will be exported to India through Chabahar Port in Iran which was inaugurated in 2017.
Addressing the event, Ghani said that the opening of Chabahar route will increase Afghanistan's export from US $1 billion to US $2 billion in the next year.
Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan Vinay Kumar also marked his presence during the ceremony. He said that Afghanistan's import to India has increased by 40 per cent after the launch of the air corridor between Kabul and New Delhi.
In 2018, Iran and India signed an agreement worth US $ 85 million to develop Chabahar Port in south-eastern Iran.
The lease agreement gives operational control to India of Shahid Beheshti port (phase one of the Chabahar port) and was signed in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The Chabahar port which provides an alternative route for trade between India and Afghanistan is located in Southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.
India and Iran had also jointly built a 900-km Chabahar-Zahedan-Hajigak railway line, which will connect with Chabahar Port to the mineral-rich Hajigak region of Afghanistan.
In 2017, India sent its first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan through the Chabahar Port.
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