Afghanistan became the largest importer of Russian flour last year

Afghanistan became the largest importer of Russian flour last year, doubling its purchases, Russia’s state agricultural export agency Agroexport reported late Friday. Afghanistan imports flour because it lacks the production capacity to fully meet domestic demand. The surge in imports comes as Russia seeks to build ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Moscow took a step closer to recognizing the Taliban government last month when the Russian parliament voted in favor of a law that would remove the group from the list of banned terrorist organizations. Agroexport, citing preliminary estimates, said Afghanistan purchased almost $80 million worth of Russian flour last year, double the 2023 level. According to the regulator, last year the total ...