Afghan seeks more trade, hopes ties with India will get boost

New Delhi: Afghanistan today said its trade with India would get a boost following commitment at the recent SAARC summit that barriers among the South Asian countries should be removed. “We hope bilateral trade with India will increase after the SAARC conference, as they have decided that barriers between Saarc countries should be eliminated to increase trade,” Afghanistan Ambassador to India Nanguyalai Tarzi said at the India International Trade Fair (IITF). Afghanistan, member of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), has put up a stall at the IITF showcasing its products to Indians. [caption id=“attachment_130724” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Afghanistan hopes to boost its bilateral trade ties with India which stood at $557.81 million in 2010-11. PTI”]  [/caption] Tarzi said the two countries have a long history of trade relations and economic assistance by India is significant. At $2 billion, India is sixth largest doner to Afghanistan and second largest in Asia. The eight-nation Saarc Summit which ended yesterday had reached a series of agreements on regional cooperation and decided to consider reducing non-tariff barriers and duties to promote freer trade. “India invests in construction, dams, roads and hospitals. More than 4,000 Afghani students study in India. Our export to India mainly include dry fruits,” Tarzi said. The bilateral trade between the two nations stood at $557.81 million in 2010-11. Meanwhile, inaugurating the South African pavilion at the fair, country’s Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe said such fairs would help improve bilateral ties. “We have brought in handmade products in line with the theme. We get a lot of pharmaceuticals from India. We hope that we promote this by participating in such fairs from time to time,” Thabethe said. At present, South Africa is India’s second largest trading partner. Trade between the two countries was $10.6 billion in 2010-11. PTI