GWADAR, (Oct. 6) – In a significant boost to the Gwadar transshipment initiative, the Gwadar Port has received a massive vessel carrying 34,000 tons of DAP fertilizers destined for processing and onward transit to Afghanistan under the Pakistan-Afghanistan transit trade agreement.
On the morning of October 3rd, the Pacific Integrity, loaded with 34,000 tons of DAP fertilizers, docked at Gwadar Port. The fertilizer shipment is imported by a joint venture between Agven Private Limited and KB Fertilizer, both private enterprises registered in the Gwadar Free Zone area.
An official from Agven revealed that after unloading the fertilizers, the next step involves packaging a substantial quantity of fertilizer at a warehouse jointly sub-leased by both entities in the Gwadar Free Zone. Once the packing process is complete, the fertilizer packets will be transported to Afghanistan by trucks.
This marks the second fertilizer consignment delivered to Afghanistan in 2023. Earlier in the year, on May 31, 2023, a private sector consignment of 20,000 tons of DAP fertilizer was shipped from Gwadar Port to Afghanistan. This batch of DAP fertilizer originated from Australia and has various industrial applications, including metal finishing, crop yield improvement, and plant growth promotion.
In 2022, Gwadar Port handled an 8,000-ton consignment of DAP fertilizers from the private sector, which was transported to Afghanistan via road. In 2021, a total of 500 tons of fertilizers were shipped out of the port’s warehouse to Afghanistan using a fleet of Pakistani trucks.
In April 2020, the federal government authorized the import of fertilizers at Gwadar Port and their onward transit to Afghanistan through bonded carriers—insured and sealable trucks equipped with tracking devices. This decision was made in response to the requests of various stakeholders, including the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), the Gwadar International Terminals Limited, and others.
Economist Shahid Hussain highlighted the potential for transshipment in Pakistan, particularly when land routes connect Gwadar to China, Afghanistan, and other Central Asian economies, unlocking new opportunities for trade and commerce.
