Export Performance and Trade Direction of Fresh and Dried Grapes (Raisin): Evidence from Afghanistan

Abstract

Grapes are one of the most delicious refreshing and nourishing fruits. Afghanistan produces 9.84 lakhtonnes of Grapes during 2018 (FAO statistics). It is one of the important commodities in the export basket of Afghanistan. The major export markets for Afghan’s fresh grapes are Pakistan and India. The major export markets for dried grapes (raisin) are India, Russia, Belarus, USA, Pakistan and UK. The present study aims to quantify the export performance and changing the structure of Grapes and raisin exports from Afghanistan. Secondary data on area, production and country-wise quantity exports of fresh and dried grapes were collected from FAO statistics, ITC and APEDA for a period of 13 years from 2006 to 2018. Compound Annual Growth Rate was computed for studying the trend in the area, production, yield, export quantity and export value for fresh and dried (raisin) grapes. Markov chain analysis was attempted to assess the direction of change in exports. Markov chain analysis results showed that Pakistan is the stable market for Afghan fresh Grapes and India and France are less stable markets. The major reasons are a geographical advantage for Pakistan which gave a competitive advantage over other countries concerning fresh grapes. India, Russia and Pakistan are stable markets for dried grapes and USA, UK, Germany and Belarus are less stable markets. India is the main country to import dried grapes (raisin) in the next five years. It shows a high value in terms of quantity and percentage which is more than 50 percent of all Afghanistan's dried grapes (raisin) export.

Effect of Pruning on Morphological and Biochemical Characteristics of Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.)

“…Grapes, having rich sources of vitamins and organic and mineral compounds, are among the fruits that are beneficial for human health (Fia et Afghanistan is one of the centers of grape origin in the world, which has a lot of genetic diversity (Arab and Ahamed 2022; Yousufi 2016). With 78,405 hectares of vineyards, this country is considered one of the largest producers of grapes and raisins in the world (Mushair et al 2020). Considering the great variety of grape cultivars in the world, which is the result of both rooting and vegetative propagation, the common methods for identifying grape cultivars are measuring quantitative and qualitative traits between cultivars.…”