Iran-Afghanistan Joint Chamber Office to Resume Activities in Kerman

TEHRAN (Iran News) During the session, Seyed Mehdi Tabibzadeh, President of the Kerman Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, highlighted the untapped potential for trade with Afghanistan. He noted that despite Iran’s total exports to Afghanistan amounting to $2.5 billion, Kerman’s share stands at just $45 million, or 1.8 percent.

“Given Kerman’s proximity to the Afghan border, the significant Afghan migrant community here, the presence of major traders, and the availability of products suitable for the Afghan market, we should have achieved much more,” Tabibzadeh said. “We had launched several initiatives before the Taliban came to power, including trade conferences, investment meetings, visits from Afghan business leaders, and agreements to streamline logistics like deploying 100 trucks from Jiroft directly to Afghanistan.”

Tabibzadeh stressed the need to deepen trade ties not only with Afghanistan but also with neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Tajikistan, as well as with Gulf nations like the UAE and Oman. He also noted growing interest from local businesspeople to establish similar joint chamber offices with Pakistan and India.

Seyed Mohammadreza Torabi Mousavi, head of the executive board of the Iran–Afghanistan Joint Chamber’s Kerman office, acknowledged the difficulties faced over the past two years due to the Taliban’s rise to power, which disrupted prior commercial engagements. “Despite these challenges, we had plans last year to send a trade delegation to the Herat Exhibition. Unfortunately, just three days before the event, Iranian participation was canceled for unforeseen reasons,” he said.

Torabi Mousavi outlined a plan to restart the Kerman office’s activities, which includes identifying active traders in the Afghan market, recruiting new members, and organizing meetings with the heads and members of the joint chamber offices in Tehran and Mashhad.

During the meeting, Mohammad Ali Mohammad Mirzaeian, head of the Kerman Chamber’s Export Development Commission, pointed out that Kerman hosts a larger Afghan trading community compared to Mashhad, mainly due to its higher Afghan migrant population. “This offers an opportunity to increase membership in the joint chamber office,” he said. Mirzaeian also suggested planning for a permanent exhibition of Kerman’s export products in Afghanistan to boost trade visibility.

Amin Abdollahi Nejad, Director of Market Development and Business Climate Improvement at the Kerman Chamber, highlighted that seven Afghan provinces with a combined population of around 7.6 million are located near Kerman. He noted a 16 percent increase in Afghanistan’s imports over the past two years, mainly comprising mineral fuels, grains, medicines, machinery, and confectionery.

According to Abdollahi Nejad, Iranian exports make up $2.5 billion—or about 39 percent—of Afghanistan’s total imports. Products exported from Kerman include grains, vegetables, sugar, sweets, and clothing, though part of this trade is routed through national border customs.

He added that, based on International Trade Centre (ITC) data, Iran could significantly increase its market share in Afghanistan by focusing on products like apples, dates, and tomatoes. Furthermore, while Iran and Afghanistan already share a trade agreement under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), signing a preferential tariff agreement could further facilitate trade.

Abdollahi Nejad proposed several measures to revitalize the joint chamber’s Kerman office, such as identifying reputable Afghan traders across Kerman province, organizing a dedicated meeting with them, hosting a conference on trade opportunities, launching a membership growth campaign, and pursuing a preferential trade agreement via the joint chamber.

The meeting also mentioned plans to establish a pavilion for the Kerman office at a joint exhibition organized by South Khorasan Chamber and Afghanistan, scheduled for September this year in Birjand.