Cooking oil, sugar prices up, petrol, gas down in Kabul

KABUL (Pajhwok): The prices of cooking oil, sugar and gold jumped while that of gas and petrol declined in Kabul markets during the past one week, sources said on Saturday.

Arabian gold price also went up while the Afghani depreciated three percent against the US dollar during the outgoing week.

Haji Hussain, owner of Sadaqat Money Exchange Company in Sara-e-Shahzada, said one US dollar was purchased at 96.2 afs while 1,000 Pakistani rupees accounted for 520 afs on Saturday.

Last week one US dollar was purchased for 93afs while 1,000 Pakistani rupees accounted for 505 afs in Kabul markets.

Referring to the continued depreciation of Afghan currency against US dollar, a Money Exchanger Haji Gohar said: “Afghani is depreciating against US dollar due to three main reasons ---- one is due to the freezing of Afghanistan assets, unstable political situation in the country and stoppage of injecting dollars by the Da Afghanistan Bank on weekly basis into the market.”

But recently DAB announced injecting around $30 million into the market to ensure stability of the Afghani.

Decline in petrol/diesel prices

An employee of Ahmadyar Petrol Pump Station said the price of one litre petrol declined from 78 afs to 76 while one litre diesel was accounted for 71 afs same as last week’s.

He said reason behind decline in petrol price was the decline in global prices of petrol and surge in the import of petroleum products. He said that gas price also declined globally that affected local prices as well.

Zamari Safi, head of the Food Traders Union, said today the price of 49-kilogram of Indian sugar surged from 2,850 to 2,950 afs. He linked this surge with the depreciation of afghani against dollar.

He added food items imported from outside always affected when afghani loses values against dollar.

He said today the whole sale price of Kazakh flour was 2,200 afs, 16 litre Malaysian cooking oil 2,600 afs, 24 kilogram Pakistani rice 2,400 afs, one kilogram of green Indonesian tea 350 afs, and one kilogram of black African tea 380 afs.

The retail prices of some items varied while some items remained steady as of last week.

Hamid Sufizada, a retailer in the Dahni Bagh Market, said the retail price of 49 kilograms of Kazakh flour was 2,250 afs, 24 kilogram Pakistani rice 2,450 afs, 49 kilograms of Indian sugar accounted for 3,000 afs, 16 litres of Malysian cooking oil for 2,650 afs, one kilogram of Indonesian tea at 360 afs and one kilogram of black African team accounted for 390 afs.

Gold prices surge 13.3 pc

Mohammad Javid, a jewelry seller in the Lyci Maryam Market, said the price of one gram of Arabian gold from 3,450 to 4,300 afs while one gram of Russian gold from 3,400 afs to 3,450 afs.

He linked the hike in gold prices with a surge in the prices of gold in global markets.

nh/ma