Pomegranate production in Afghanistan

[1] Pomegranates are a major fruit crop in many provinces, particularly in Kandahar, Helmand, Wardak, Ghazni, Paktia, Farah, Kapisa and Balkh,[2][3][4][5] and are the source of the livelihoods of thousands of people.

[8] In 2010 the new Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) was signed between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which permits Afghan traders to export local agricultural produce by road to Indian the markets via the Wagah border post.

This has created significant competition there among their Turkish and North African counterparts as the Afghan product is said to be larger, redder and juicier.

[10] It was reported in 2010 that Pomegreat has entered into a £3 million deal with Omaid Bahar, a Kabul-based company, to buy pomegranate juice from Afghanistan.

[6] However, international demand for Afghan pomegranates is still in its infancy; the majority of the U.S. domestic supply for instance comes from the San Joaquin Valley, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece and Mexico.

Such an event, which is the meeting place for producers, buyers, packaging, logistics, and cold storage technology companies, equipment vendors, international experts on pomegranate production and processing and government agencies, is the road show that will bring to fore "the Afghan pomegranate industry, create new business opportunities, and benefit the people of Afghanistan.