KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Wheat prices soared 50 percent in southern Kandahar province recently, deepening consumers’ pain
According to farmers and common people, the reason behind significant surge in the prices of wheat is its small scale cultivation.
Instead of wheat, people cultivated poppy and other crops that caused surge in wheat prices, according to local residents.
In the past, the price of 2.5 kilogram of wheat was 130afs while now it has surged to 200 afs and everyone could not buy it.
Shah Mohammad, a farmer from the Arghandab district, told Pajhwok Afghan News wheat rate surged in Kandahar at a time when farmers were collecting their wheat harvest.
“Wheat was cultivated on a small swath of land in Kandahar this year, farmers preferred poppy instead of wheat. This year crops were affected by drought,” he said.
For instant Shah Mohammad said in the past up three tonnes of wheat was obtained from half an acre of land while this year up to 1.5 tonnes of wheat was obtained from half an acre of land.
Niamatullah, another farmer, said last year he cultivated wheat on nine acres of land while this year he cultivated the crop on five acres of land due to water shortage.
He said most farmers cultivated poppy instead of wheat therefore there was a shortage of wheat and its prices surged.
Allah Nazar, a flour mill owner in Kandahar City, said 4.5 kilogram of the best quality Amani wheat rate was 210 afs this year.
He said farmers did not grow wheat on large scale of land and they cultivated wheat for their own need only and did not provide the harvest to the market therefore there its prices surged.
Bilal Ahmad, a local wheat consumer, said there was 300 afs increase in the price of wheat in the past two weeks.
“Recently, 45 kilograms of local flour accounted for 2,000 afs while currently the same quantity of wheat were available for 2,200 afs,” he said.
Kandahar Agriculture Department also acknowledged growers preferred other crops over wheat.
Abdul Ghafor, a senior Agriculture Department official, said: “Wheat crop was not cultivated on huge swaths of land because of drought, there is no information what amount of wheat was cultivated this year, we could even cannot estimate that how many hectors land was cultivated with wheat.”
nh/ma
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