India’s imports of dry fruits like almonds, raisins, dried apricots, and pistachios from Afghanistan may take a hit after the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Exporters say this could lead to higher prices of these items in Indian markets.

After the attack, India quickly closed the Attari land border crossing, which is used for trading some goods. In response, Pakistan also stopped all trade with India, including goods coming from or going to other countries through its land.

Exporters said that India gets a large share of its dry fruits from Afghanistan, and some of it comes through Pakistan. With the borders now closed, this supply chain has been disrupted. Currently, India trades with Afghanistan through the Attari-Wagah border. But after Pakistan stopped trade, it’s likely to affect both exports and imports between India and Kabul.

From April 2024 to January 2025, India exported goods worth about USD 264 million to Afghanistan and imported goods worth about USD 591 million. Of these imports, dry fruits alone made up USD 358 million. India also imported a small amount, just USD 0.08 million of fruits and nuts from Pakistan during the same time.

The key items India gets from Afghanistan through this route include dried figs, asafoetida (hing), saffron, dried apricots, pistachios, and raisins. The Attari border, used for this trade, is located near Amritsar in Punjab. According to a Delhi-based importer, closing this land route will definitely affect dry fruit imports from both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rajiv Batra, president of the Khari Baoli Traders' Association, said that there’s no immediate impact because goods already in transit are still arriving.

However, after about ten days, imports will completely stop, and prices in Delhi could rise by up to 20%.
He added that although India will still receive dry fruits, they will have to come through alternative routes via countries like the UAE, Iran, and Iraq, which will now serve as new channels for Afghan dry fruit supplies.

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