KABUL, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan exported saffron and ferula asafetida worth 77.5 million U.S. dollars over the past six months, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad said Friday.

The country has exported 18 tons of saffron worth 20.5 million U.S. dollars and 617 tons of ferula asafetida worth 57 million U.S. dollars during the cited period through August, the official said in talks to local media.

According to the official, the valuable spices have been mostly exported to China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Spain, Germany, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, the United States, and Britain.

Ferula asafetida, with yellow flower and massive root, is native to Central Asia and eastern Iran, and currently it is grown chiefly in Afghanistan, from where it is exported to the rest of the world.

Afghanistan's Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock has provided training to local farmers in its efforts to promote saffron and ferula asafetida production in the war-ravaged Central Asian country.

Afghanistan's main export items include coal, saffron, ferula asafetida, hand-woven carpets, and precious stones. Enditem

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