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The India-Afghanistan Joint Working Group (JWG) on Trade, Commerce and Investment held a virtual meeting on Tuesday, September 1, with representatives from India and Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions, commerce, industry, customs and regulatory authorities.
The discussions covered trade facilitation and customs cooperation, visa facilitation for Afghan traders, banking and financial cooperation, pharmaceutical and agricultural trade, energy cooperation, investment and trade promotion, tariff concessions, cargo connectivity and port-related issues.
Both sides agreed to strengthen institutional cooperation and pursue follow-up action in the identified areas, including enhanced customs and data-sharing cooperation, regulatory cooperation in pharmaceuticals and agriculture, improved trade connectivity, and promotion of investment and business-to-business engagement.
India’s Commerce Ministry described the meeting as having been “held in a warm and constructive atmosphere”, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to “further strengthening India-Afghanistan trade, commerce and investment ties.”
Bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan has remained around $1 billion over the past five years. Iran’s Chabahar port has served as a link for trade connectivity between the two countries, as Pakistan does not allow land transhipment between India and Afghanistan.
India-Afghanistan deepen agriculture cooperation
Separately, India and Afghanistan agreed to deepen cooperation in agriculture , irrigation, livestock and agri-trade during the July 7-12 visit of Afghanistan’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Ataullah Omari, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on July 12.
Omari was accompanied by a high-level delegation, and the visit marked the fourth ministerial-level engagement between the two sides since October 2025, the MEA said.
During talks with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the two sides reviewed ongoing cooperation and explored new areas of collaboration in agriculture, irrigation, livestock, agricultural research, education, capacity building and agri-trade.
According to the MEA, the discussions focused on food security, strengthening seed systems and improving crop productivity. India also reiterated its commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s agricultural sector through cooperation on climate-resilient and bio-fortified crop varieties, sustainable irrigation, water harvesting and watershed development.
Also Read: FM invites global investors to set up manufacturing, tech centres in India
The discussions covered trade facilitation and customs cooperation, visa facilitation for Afghan traders, banking and financial cooperation, pharmaceutical and agricultural trade, energy cooperation, investment and trade promotion, tariff concessions, cargo connectivity and port-related issues.
Both sides agreed to strengthen institutional cooperation and pursue follow-up action in the identified areas, including enhanced customs and data-sharing cooperation, regulatory cooperation in pharmaceuticals and agriculture, improved trade connectivity, and promotion of investment and business-to-business engagement.
India’s Commerce Ministry described the meeting as having been “held in a warm and constructive atmosphere”, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to “further strengthening India-Afghanistan trade, commerce and investment ties.”
Bilateral trade between India and Afghanistan has remained around $1 billion over the past five years. Iran’s Chabahar port has served as a link for trade connectivity between the two countries, as Pakistan does not allow land transhipment between India and Afghanistan.
India-Afghanistan deepen agriculture cooperation
Separately, India and Afghanistan agreed to deepen cooperation in agriculture , irrigation, livestock and agri-trade during the July 7-12 visit of Afghanistan’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Mawlawi Ataullah Omari, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on July 12.
Omari was accompanied by a high-level delegation, and the visit marked the fourth ministerial-level engagement between the two sides since October 2025, the MEA said.
During talks with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the two sides reviewed ongoing cooperation and explored new areas of collaboration in agriculture, irrigation, livestock, agricultural research, education, capacity building and agri-trade.
According to the MEA, the discussions focused on food security, strengthening seed systems and improving crop productivity. India also reiterated its commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s agricultural sector through cooperation on climate-resilient and bio-fortified crop varieties, sustainable irrigation, water harvesting and watershed development.
Also Read: FM invites global investors to set up manufacturing, tech centres in India
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