Afghani rises against dollar, rupee

KABUL (Pajhwok): The afghani rose against the US dollar and the Pakistani rupee over the past week, lowering the prices of flour and other daily-use commodities in Kabul, where the price of gold rose further, retailers said on Thursday.

This week’s buying rate of one US dollar was 47.60 afs, while 1,000 Pakistani rupees cost 54.50 afs. Last week, a greenback cost 48 afs and 1,000 Pakistani rupees 560 afs, the moneychangers’ union head at the Shahzada Money Market, Mohammad Amin Jan Khosti, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The afghani gained value after Da Afghanistan Bank purchased $70 million from the open market, Khosti said.

Food Traders Union head Fazl Rahman said the central bank’s move led to a drop in food prices. Rehman said a 50 kilogram sack of Pakistani flour sold for 1,000 afs in contrast to last week’s price of 1,027 afs. A 5 kg tin of Spin Ghar ghee was sold for 430 afs against its previous rate of 440 afs. The price of 50 kg of Brazilian sugar decreased from 2,300 afs to 2,030 afs, he said.

A 50 kg bag of rice declined in price from 2,470 afs to 2,400 afs, a kilogram of African black tea from 195 afs to 190 afs and the same amount of Indonesian green tea from 165 afs to160 afs, he said.

One litre of petrol was priced at 61 afs and the same amount of diesel cost 59 afs, the same price as last Thursday, said a worker at a filling station in the Saleem Karwan area, Baktash.

The price of liquefied gas also remained steady during the week at 50 afs per kg, a gas seller in the Taimani neighborhood, Obaidullah, said.

Abdul Baseer, a jeweller in the upscale Lisa-i-Maryam neighbourhood, said the price of one gram of Arabian gold jumped from 2,000 afs to 2,100 afs, and the same amount of Iranian gold rose from 1,600 afs to 1,700 afs.

myn/ma