KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) 鈥� It鈥檚 grape season in Afghanistan鈥檚 southern province of Kandahar, and the harvest this year is plentiful. But that鈥檚 small comfort for the region鈥檚 grape producers and workers, who say fighting between and has left them unable to access their primary market.
For months, the two countries have across their long, mountainous border, leaving . Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan 鈥� a charge Kabul denies.
With the fighting have come , severing a critical trade route and preventing Afghan producers from reaching what is the primary export market for many goods.
Unable to export their fresh fruit, Afghan grape producers have turned to the domestic market, where the increased supply has sent prices tumbling. To adapt, many producers are now drying their grapes and turning them into raisins 鈥� a cheaper product that sells for less.
In a long warehouse in Kandahar鈥檚 Zhari district, fans whirl overhead, stirring the hot summer air around bunches of plump, green grapes draped over sticks set up in rows to dry.
But even for raisins, prices have tanked.
Sakhi Jan, who owns a grape orchard in Zhari, says that with 10 people in his household to feed, he’s barely getting by. Seven kilograms (15.5 pounds) of raisins used to sell for around 1,000 to 1,200 afghanis ($13 to $16), he says. Now, the same amount sells for just 400-450 afghanis ($5-$6).
In a country where the most vulnerable, such income losses can be critical.
鈥淲e are grateful, but things aren鈥檛 like they used to be, the struggle is much harder now,鈥� Jan said. 鈥淚n the past, work was steady, we used to sell some grapes, and people generally had good work but now the hardship is immense.鈥�
Opening the border crossings and allowing trade to flow once more is critical, he stressed.
鈥淲e urge both our government and Pakistan to open these routes and reach an agreement,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he current situation is causing great hardship.鈥�
Abdul Baqi Bina, the deputy director of the Kandahar Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said the border closure has dealt a severe blow to Afghanistan’s fruit exports 鈥� not just grapes, but also pomegranates.
In 2025, five southern Afghan provinces that make up the country鈥檚 main grape-producing region exported 44,225 tons 鈥� $13.8 million worth of grapes. Nearly all 鈥� 43,000 tons 鈥� went to Pakistan and the remainder headed to Bangladesh, Iraq and India, Bina said. So far this year, only 256 tons have been exported, at a value of $100,000.
For grape exporter Haji Abdul Hai, it has been a disaster.
鈥淚n my 50 years of life, I have never seen these roads closed to the extent they are now,鈥� he said, adding that previous border closures would usually last for a few days, or one crossing would close while another remained open.
鈥淏ut now, we are facing truly major difficulties,鈥� he said.
Last year, the orchard where Qudratullah Popal worked picking grapes employed about 1,500 workers. This year, Popal said the number has plummeted to around 15.
鈥淭here have been good harvests. Grapes turned out well, but the issue is they cannot be exported to other countries. They are being sent to domestic locations 鈥� where there is already an abundance of grapes,鈥� he said.
鈥淲hen routes are blocked and trade halts, everyone鈥檚 livelihood is paralyzed, traders, laborers and orchard owners alike,鈥� Popal said.
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