ISLAMABAD: The National Food Security Ministry and Research (MNFSR) said on Wednesday that Islamabad is exploring alternative export markets to address the slump in potato prices triggered by the closure of key border passes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. 

Pakistan closed its Chaman and Torkham border crossings with Afghanistan in October 2025 after fierce clashes between both forces left dozens dead. 

The suspension of trade with Afghanistan, a huge market for Pakistani potatoes, has created an oversupply of the vegetable in Pakistan. The prices of potatoes in the country have since then recorded a sharp decline, with Pakistani farmers complaining of heavy losses. 

“To resolve this issue, MNFSR, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Ministry of Commerce, is actively exploring alternative export destinations and trade routes to ensure continuity of exports and market access for Pakistani potatoes,” the food security ministry’s statement said. 

Pakistan exports vegetables, particularly potatoes, a big chunk of which goes to Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and beyond via Afghanistan.

The MNFSR said it has directed the commerce ministry to identify foreign importers to facilitate and accelerate potato exports.

“The ministry has identified 36 countries as potential export markets for Pakistani potatoes and has shared the list with exporters,” it said. 

Federal Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting farmers, enhancing Pakistan’s agricultural exports, and ensuring sustainable solutions through market diversification and effective inter-ministerial coordination, the statement added. 

Pakistan’s agriculture sector accounted for 24 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employed more than 37 percent of its labor force in 2024, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25.

Pakistan’s Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) targets the production of 8.9 million tons of potatoes during the 2025-26 Rabi crop season that begins in October and lasts till April.

Malik Nusrat Mahmood, a potato trader in Islamabad, told Arab News in December that the wholesale price of a 5-kilogram bag of potatoes had declined by as much as 60 percent to Rs80 (less than a dollar) due to the border closures. 

Landlocked Afghanistan has also leaned more heavily on trade routes via Iran and Central Asia since the border closures last year, as it aims to reduce its dependence on Pakistan amid surging tensions between the neighbors.