With support from USAID, Afghan traders signed contracts totaling more than $276 million for high-value agricultural products at trade shows held in India, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan in 2018. Overseas buyers pay a premium for high-quality fruits, spices, nuts and vegetables. USAID’s Commercial Horticulture and Agricultural Marketing Program (CHAMP) and agricultural export program’s (Regional Agricultural Development Programs North and East and Promoting Value Chains West) helped Afghan agribusinesses participate in four international trade shows where they found those ready buyers.

Afghanistan's grapes, raisins, pomegranates, nuts and spices are known throughout the world for their taste and quality. Since 2003, USAID has worked to ramp up quality commercial production and export facilitation for Afghan products, boosting incomes for farmers and traders while rebuilding trade relationships frayed by decades of war.

Taking advantage of recent government incentives to stimulate greater trade with India, CHAMP coordinated the participation of Afghan exporters at events in New Delhi and Mumbai. These trade shows provided an opportunity for Afghan traders to connect with Indian buyers, explore business relationships, and gain a competitive advantage in one of the fastest growing agricultural markets in the region.

One buyer, Ashish Arora, signed a contract for more than 1,000 metric tons of dried fruits bound for markets in Bangalore. "India is the largest consumer of dried fruit after China," he said. "Afghan dried fruit is the right quality and the right consistency for our market, and we look forward to opening up more demand for this fine product."

These sales mean better returns for Afghan traders and farmers, and greater international recognition for Afghanistan’s unique agricultural products.