Russia says Afghanistan was its top flour buyer in 2024

MOSCOW: Afghanistan became the largest importer of Russian flour last year as it doubled purchases, Russia’s state agricultural export agency, Agroexport, said late on Friday.

Afghanistan imports flour as it does not have enough production capacity to fully meet domestic demand.

The increase in imports came as Russia sought to foster ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.

Last month, Moscow moved a step closer towards recognising the Taliban government, with Russia’s parliament voting in favour of a law that would make it possible to remove the movement from a list of banned terrorist organisations.

Agroexport, citing preliminary estimates, said Afghanistan bought Russian flour worth almost $80 million last year, double the 2023 level.

Russia’s total wheat and wheat-rye flour exports reached $300 million last year, up 3% year on year in value terms and 7% more by volume, according to the watchdog.

China and Turkmenistan were also in the top three buyers of Russian flour, it said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s sugar exports to Afghanistan recorded a whopping increase of 3473% in the first half of FY 2024-25.

This massive increase has made sugar the largest contributor to Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan with a record 3473 percent increase from July to December 2024

According to the official figures, sugar exports reached $211.8 million compared with $5.9 million during the corresponding period in 2023.

Overall Pakistani exports to Afghanistan have also increased by 52 per cent, reaching $753.8 million during the first six months of the current fiscal year, compared with $495.2 during the same period in 2023.

In December 2024, Pakistani exports to Afghanistan raised by 103 per cent Year-Over-Year (YOY) and 36 per cent MoM, with total sales at $175.1, compared to $86 million in December 2023 and $129 million in November 2024.