The closure of borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan has driven up prices of essential commodities in both countries, with tomatoes now costing five times more in Pakistan since fighting broke out between the two South Asian neighbors this month.
Border crossings between the two countries have remained closed since October 11, following Pakistani ground fighting and airstrikes on their disputed 2,600 km (1,600 mile) border that killed dozens of people on both sides in the worst fighting since the Taliban seized Kabul in 2021.
All trade and transits have been blocked since the fighting began, Khan Jan Alokozay, president of the Pak-Afghan Chamber of Commerce in Kabul, told Reuters on Thursday.
“Every day that passes, both sides lose about $1 million,” he said.
Fresh fruits, vegetables, minerals, medicines, wheat, rice, sugar, meat and dairy products account for most of the $2.3 billion annual trade volume between the two countries.
Prices of tomatoes, widely used in Pakistani cuisine, jumped more than 400 percent to around 600 rupees, or $2.13 per kilogram. Apples, which mainly come from Afghanistan, are also seeing their prices soar.
“We have about 500 containers of vegetables for export daily, all of which are spoiled,” Alokozay said.
About 5,000 cargo containers are stuck on both sides of the border, a Pakistani official said at the main border crossing of Torkham in northwest Pakistan.
He added that there was already a shortage of tomatoes, apples and grapes in the market.
Pakistan’s commerce ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
The border clashes were sparked after Islamabad demanded that Kabul control militants attacking Pakistan across their shared border, saying they were operating from safe havens in Afghanistan. The Taliban have denied these accusations.
A ceasefire was agreed during negotiations hosted by Qatar and Turkey last weekend and remains in effect between the two sides, but border trade remains closed. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for October 25 in Istanbul.
