Pakistan looks for other places to sell its potatoes now that trade with Afghanistan has been cut off.

The National Food Security Ministry and Research (MNFSR) said on Wednesday that Islamabad is looking into other export markets to make up for the drop in potato prices caused by the closing of important border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In October 2025, Pakistan closed its border points with Afghanistan at Chaman and Torkham after fighting between the two sides killed dozens of people.

There are too many potatoes in Pakistan because trade with Afghanistan has been cut off. Afghanistan is a big market for Pakistani potatoes. Since then, the price of potatoes in the country has dropped sharply, and farmers are saying that they have lost a lot of money.

A statement from the food security ministry said, “To solve this problem, MNFSR is actively exploring alternative export destinations and trade routes to ensure continuity of exports and market access for Pakistani potatoes.” This is being done in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Ministry of Commerce.

A lot of the veggies that Pakistan sells, especially potatoes, go through Afghanistan and end up in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and other places.

The MNFSR said it had told the trade ministry to find foreign buyers of potatoes so that exports could go faster and easier.

“The ministry has shared the list of 36 countries where Pakistani potatoes could be sold as an export with exporters,” the statement said.

The statement also said that Federal Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain reaffirmed the government’s dedication to safeguarding farms, boosting Pakistan’s agricultural exports, and ensuring long-lasting solutions by expanding markets and coordinating well across ministries.

According to the Economic Survey 2024-25, more than 37% of Pakistan’s workers were worked in agriculture in 2024, which made up 24% of the country’s GDP.

The Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) of Pakistan wants to grow 8.9 million tons of potatoes during the Rabi crop season in 2025–2026, which runs from October to April.