The Afghan government announced on Saturday that the first shipment of the Afghan goods will head to India through Chabahar Port on Sunday. 

The shipment will head to Chabahar Port from Zaranj City in Nimroz province, in the west of Afghanistan, said President Ghani’s spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri. 

He said the cargo will contain 570 tons of export goods carried by 23 vehicles.

“As part of the transit routes inaugurated by the Afghan government, the first shipment of Afghan export goods will head to Chabahar Port from Zaranj city through Abrisham Bridge and then to India. This is the first time that Afghanistan will be directly connected with India by using Chabahar Port,” he said.

He said President Ghani will travel to Nimroz province on Sunday to inaugurate the first export cargo of Afghanistan to be sent to India through Chabahar Port. 

Chabahar Port is a key trade port, providing Afghanistan with direct sea access.

In May 2016, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed an agreement on the establishment of a Transit and Transport Corridor among the three countries using Chabahar Port as the regional hub for sea transportation.

In February last year, Iran said it had agreed to lease operational control of Chabahar to India for 18 months and in June, India’s Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said India is trying to make Chabahar fully operational by 2019.