Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 11, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
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In 2024, Afghanistan became the largest importer of Russian flour, doubling its purchases as Russia strengthens ties with the Taliban government.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Afghanistan became the largest importer of Russian flour last year as it doubled purchases, Russia's state agricultural export agency, Agroexport, said late on Friday.
Afghanistan imports flour as it does not have enough production capacity to fully meet domestic demand.
The increase in imports came as Russia sought to foster ties with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers.
Last month, Moscow moved a step closer towards recognising the Taliban government, with Russia's parliament voting in favour of a law that would make it possible to remove the movement from a list of banned terrorist organisations.
Agroexport, citing preliminary estimates, said Afghanistan bought Russian flour worth almost $80 million last year, double the 2023 level.
Russia's total wheat and wheat-rye flour exports reached $300 million last year, up 3% year on year in value terms and 7% more by volume, according to the watchdog.
China and Turkmenistan were also in the top three buyers of Russian flour, it said.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin. Editing by Mark Potter)
The article discusses Afghanistan becoming the largest importer of Russian flour in 2024 and the implications of Russia's trade relations with the Taliban government.
Afghanistan increased flour imports due to insufficient domestic production capacity to meet demand.
Afghanistan spent almost $80 million on Russian flour in 2024, doubling its imports from the previous year.
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