Special day bazaars again thrive in Kandahar

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Thousands of people visit special bazaars or traditional fairs to buy and sell food and non-food items in southern Kandahar province after a long delay.

These bazaars or so-called traditional fairs are held on special days of the week in different districts of Kandahar on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

A special bazaar or fair is also held two days a week in the Bagh-e-Pul area near Zhari district west of Kandahar city.

Food vendors and buyers at the bazaar say that in the past, due to war and unfavorable conditions, markets on special days of the week were either closed or rarely held because people could not attend due to insecurity.

They add that now that the war has stopped, these markets are once again thriving and the number of sellers and buyers has multiplied many times.

Abdul Kabir, who sells winter goods in the bazaar, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the recent rise in prices in cities has forced people to buy goods in fairs for being cheap.

"Now more people come to these markets or fairs than before, people are not afraid and most of the people in the city can't afford to buy goods, so they come to these fairs to buy goods," he said.

He added that many people who used to sell food and other items in the city now come to the Friday market and sell their goods because of the low rent.

Hayatullah, another vendor at the bazaar, said thousands of people from nearby Arghandab, Zhari and Panjwai districts come to the bazaars on special days to buy essential items.

"More people are coming here now and our business has improved. We used to trade at 3,000 or 4,000 afghanis a day, but now it has doubled," he said.

In the past, police took money from vendors in Friday market but now only rent is being taken from them. In addition to food, animals, motorcycles, cars and other items are sold in the bazaar.

Tor Jan who has brought his motorcycle to the market for sale, said "I came to the fair to sell my motorcycle because I am unemployed and need money".

Assadullah, who also came to the fair to buy food, said the prices were too high and he could not afford to buy much of what he needed.

He added: "Many people come to the fair because there is peace and there are no wars, but the problem is that poverty has increased, people do not have jobs, so they cannot buy even the most desirable items.”

He called on the authorities to do more to improve the economic situation in the country and create jobs for the people.

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