Afghanistan's attempt to expand fruit exports to Russia is attracting attention but remains largely symbolic, market experts note. According to The Kabul Tribune, around 50 tonnes of apples from the Kandahar region were recently shipped to Russia.
"This is a drop in the ocean," said Irina Koziy, general director of the FruitNews information agency and head of the Berry Academy project, in a comment to NSN. "Russia's apple market is currently around 1.2–1.3 million tonnes, so such a shipment is practically invisible in scale. Afghanistan is indeed seeking new export routes, including through Uzbekistan, but it is too early to assess how successful these efforts will be."
Retail market expert Andrey Karpov added that Russian consumers are unlikely to pay attention to the product's origin. "Buyers rarely check where a particular apple comes from. What matters most is the price and quality. Afghan fruit does not carry a negative reputation — in fact, it may even be perceived as more organic and naturally grown," he said.
Source: nsn.fm
