Kandaharis use cottonseed oil after rise in prices

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Following the rise in prices of imported cooking oil, many residents of southern Kandahar province have started using domestically produced cottonseed oil, boosting its market.

Besides the increase in cooking oil price, the rates of various food items have gone up in the country.

Mohammad Jan, a resident of Kandahar City, told Pajhwok Afghan News that he used home-made oil after the price of imported oil went up.

He said the quality of domestic oils was good and its price reasonable. The price of imported oil has almost doubled recently and not everyone can afford it, he added.

Members of the Kandahar Industrialists’ Union say that the previously lukewarm market for domestically produced goods has become bullish.

Faiz-ul-Haq Meshkani, head of the Industrialists’ Union, told Pajhwok Afghan News that there were currently 18 cotton processing and cottonseed oil mills in the Kandahar Industrial Park, which had already increased production in response to market demand.

“That’s why the price of domestic oil has gone up,” he said, adding that there was no electricity and the factories were run on diesel-run generators.

If there was no electricity problem, the price of cottonseed oil would have been much lower than that of imported oil, which would have increased its consumption even further, he believed.

Haji Hayatullah, who is in charge of a factory producing oil and sesame seeds in the Kandahar Industrial Park, said that although sales of oil and sesame seeds have increased, so have their costs.

He says there is no electricity and they run the factory on diesel engines that consume about seven barrels of fuel in 24 hours.

He added that in the past, the government would provide fuel for 10 hours but now there is no fuel or electricity.

According to him, another major problem is that when cotton is exported to Pakistan, the money is not immediately transferred to them, which has also negatively affected their production.

Sayed Ahmad, head of sales at a cottonseed oil factory, said sales of their oil had increased by 50 per cent.

At present, he says, the price of a kilogram of domestically produced oil is 160 afghanis, which is lower than imported oil and many people use domestic oil.

Officials at the Cottonseed Oil Factory say that if the power and other problems are solved, the cottonseed oil will replace the imported oils and the price will be much lower.

ma

Views: 172