31.10.2025, 10:49
Kazakhstan and Afghanistan Establish New Trade Bridge Between Central and South Asia
How Afghanistan is becoming Kazakhstan's key route to the southern seas
Kazakh authorities have announced serious plans for the current marketing year: the country is preparing to export 9.6 million tons of wheat. Afghanistan is becoming a key destination for increasing supplies of quality grain and flour. This focus was clearly outlined at the third annual exhibition of Afghan goods, which opened in Shymkent.
According to the government's press service, trade turnover between the two countries reached $545.2 million last year. In the first eight months of 2025, this figure stood at $335.9 million. Although some individual items show a slight decline, two key commodities are experiencing explosive growth. Exports of Kazakh wheat to Afghanistan have surged 2.9-fold, and sunflower oil supplies have jumped 3.1-fold.
Speaking at the business forum during the exhibition, Serik Zhumangarin, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of National Economy of Kazakhstan, explicitly called Afghanistan one of the country's strategic partners in the region.
"Afghanistan is one of Kazakhstan's most important trade partners in South Asia. Our countries have extensive potential for developing cooperation both bilaterally and across the entire region," Zhumangarin emphasized.
However, matters will not be limited to grain supplies. The discussion shifted to practical terms during a bilateral meeting between Serik Zhumangarin and the Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industry, Nuriddin Azizi. An ambitious infrastructure project is on the agenda.
The topic is the creation of a transit corridor connecting Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The first step is intended to be the construction of the new Herat – Turgundi railway line.
The strategic goal of this plan is to open a window to the southern seas. The launch of the Trans-Afghan corridor will provide direct access to Pakistan's port of Karachi. If this route is linked with the existing "North-South" project, it opens gates for Kazakh goods to the ports of the Persian Gulf and India. Effectively, these initiatives lay the foundation for a new trade axis (CASA), directly connecting Central and South Asia.
