Facilitate imports to reduce prices, traders tell govt

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Traders and food vendors in northern Balkh province say the government should provide facilities to the private sector to control prices in the markets.

Imports through the port of Hairatan are being done based on contracts signed with Central Asian trading companies during the previous government.

Officials at the Balkh Chamber of Commerce say restrictions on money transfers through banks should be lifted so that traders can sign new business contracts before the onset of winter.

Although the Aqina and Hairatan ports in the northern zone are open for imports, food prices in Mazar-e-Sharif continue to rise.

At present, 50 kilograms of Kazakhstani flour costs 2250 afghanis, 10 liters of ghee 1500 afghanis and 20 kilograms of Indian rice 2100 afghanis in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Timur, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif, is worried about rising food prices in the market. He runs a three-wheeler load carrying vehicle. He says his income is low but expenses are high.

He earns from 25 afghanis to 300 afghanis a day, while commodity prices had risen sharply.

“I hardly earn money enough only to buy dry breed and vegetables for home, and the prices of goods go up with each passing day,” he said.

He called on the government to pay more attention to price control.

Mohammad Asghar, a food shopkeeper in Mazar-i-Sharif, told Pajhwok Afghan News most people could not afford to buy goods.

He said problems in customs, restrictions on cash in banks and declining imports were the main reasons for the rise in commodity prices.

To address the problem, he said, the government should reduce its taxes to encourage traders to import more goods.

The shopkeeper also said that his shop was full of food items but they were not being sold due to high prices.

At the same time, the Balkh Chamber of Commerce confirms that food prices in Mazar have reached record high.

Hassan Ansari, liaison officer for the Balkh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the current import through Hairatan port was based on contracts signed with Central Asian companies during the previous government.

He says new contracts are needed to reduce prices in the markets. Ansari added that new contracts needed to remove existing restrictions on money transfers at banks.

He says new commercial contracts should be signed before the onset of winter to prevent further rise in commodity prices in the markets.

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