Trade resumes as over 14 trucks from Afghanistan reach India

Over 14 trucks with goods worth ₹5 crore from Afghanistan have crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab’s Amritsar since Pakistan allowed Afghanistan to send goods to India, a trade body said on Wednesday.

Both Pakistan and India had suspended trade through the border in March to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Pakistan had allowed Afghanistan to send goods to India using the border from July 15 under the Pakistan-Afghanistan Transit Trade Agreement.

“The arrival of 14 trucks laden with dry fruits, mulathhi [liquorice] and other assorted goods in the last four days till July 21 worth over ₹5 crore has brought back semblance of normalcy in the markets,” said Ashok Sethi, Director of the Confederation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Traders from India usually import dry fruits and herbal items from Afghanistan.

Place orders

Mr. Sethi said Indian traders who dealt in Afgan food items such as almonds, raisins, fig, apricots, mulathhi and spices had started placing orders since the transit trade was allowed. The resuming of business would revive the ₹250-crore dry fruits trade, which would benefit a large section of people directly and indirectly, including daily wage earners and transporters, he said.

Amritsar-based leading custom clearing agent, Jaspal Singh, said: “Our business has come to a standstill for the last four months, resulting in huge loss as there is literally no working at the land port. No imports have rendered the entire labour jobless.”