KABUL - The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) has predicted pine nuts production to reach up to 24,000 tons this year, which indicates a 10 percent increase from last year’s productions.
Planting hundreds and thousands of pine nuts saplings, the government is making  efforts to expand production of the crop
Afghanistan’s pine nuts are mostly exported to China and UAE.
Most of the pine nuts are shipped to Pakistan for processing; however, local firms are developing the capacity to meet the international standards in processing and packaging pine nuts.
In February of this year, an Afghan businessman invested  $5 million to make a facility for processing pine nuts locally. 
According to MAIL officials, about 1,700 tons of pine nuts have met international standards and were exported to China, the Gulf and Europe over the past few years. The amount is expected to increase this year.
The price of Afghan pine nuts rose sharply  in local markets following inauguration of the air corridor between Afghanistan and China.
A single kilogram of pine nuts in local markets is up to 2,800 Afghanis ($35), compared to 1,500 Afghanis a few months before the opening of the air corridor.
The overall prices of Afghan black pine nuts is estimated at $2 billion annually.
Pine nut trees are mostly found in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan, Kunar, Paktia, Khost and Paktika provinces. (Wadsam)