The export of Afghan coal has increased by 16% compared to the same period of the previous year, said the Ministry of Finance.

Afghanistan has exported over 1.8 million tons of coal abroad, according to the Ministry of Finance. Most of the coal was exported to Pakistan.

“The majority of our exportation is to Pakistan. Some traders export the coal from Pakistan to other countries,” said Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.

The price of coal has increased in the markets.

The Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines (ACIM) called the worldwide surge in the price of energy as the reason for the increase in the exports of Afghan coal.

“Due to a surge in the price of fuel in the international market, the exportation of coal to Pakistan has been significantly increased,” said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, head of the ACIM.

According to the MoF, Afghanistan exported over one billion Afs worth of coal between 1399 to 1400 solar year, but over the past seven months exports of coal have ncreased by 16 percent compared to the same time last year.

The MoF said it has received four million Afs in revenue from the exportation of coal.

Economists believe that the coal should be extracted through a systematic process.

“Previously, Pakistan was importing coal from Australia. Now the prices have increased and made it ten times more expensive by sea. Afghanistan is a discount for Pakistan,” said Azeraksh Hafizi, an economist.

The biggest coal mine is in the north of Afghanistan.