Kabul witnesses unprecedented rise in oil prices

KABUL (Pajhwok): Fuel prices rose by 10.5 percent in Kabul in the past two days and officials link the unprecedented rise to soaring oil prices in the international market.

Oil prices have been rising for the past month, according to the Oil Price website.

According to the website, the international price of a barrel of oil today is 118 US dollars. On the same day last month, the price of a barrel of oil was $105.

Fuel prices dramatically rise in Kabul

An employee of Ahmadiyar Group’s fuel tank told Pajhwok Afghan News that today’s rate of a liter of diesel was 104 afghanis and a liter of petrol 85 afghanis, compared their prices of 91 afghanis and 80 afghanis respectively two days ago.

According to a Pajhwok report, a liter of petrol cost 73 afghanis and a liter of diesel 89 afghanis about a month ago.

Following the rise in fuel prices, taxi and bus drivers have also raised their fares, which has worried Kabul residents.

Mozhgan, a resident of Khair Khana area of ​​Kabul and an NGO worker, told Pajhwok Afghan News: “Every day I travel from Khair Khana to the Shahr-i-Naw area, but unfortunately the fare has gone up in the last two days.”

She said when she asked the drivers why they had increased the fare, they replied that oil prices had shot up.

She added that the fare from 500 Famil area of Kabul to Sarsabz intersection was previously 10 afghanis but now it had been increased to 15 afghanis since yesterday.

Fatima, a resident of Kota Sangi area, also complained about the high fare, saying that the fare from Kota Sangi to the city had been increased to 15 afghanis from 10 afghanis.

Habibullah, a resident of Kabul’s Kampani area and an employee of the Ministry of Finance, also complained about the high fares, saying it was difficult for a government official to pay rent with a salary of 9000 afs.

He called on the government to pay attention to reducing fuel prices and taxi and bus fares.

Khan Jan Alokozai, first deputy chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Pajhwok Afghan News that due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war between the two sides, food and oil prices had increased globally.

He said Turkmenistan, the world’s largest oil exporter, exported 80,000 tonnes of oil to Europe in recent days, pushing up global oil prices.

He said that in addition to the war in Ukraine, problems in the money transfer process in Afghanistan and the suspension of oil exports by Iran had also led to a rise in oil prices.

Alokozai said the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, as well as the Ministry of Industry and Trade, were trying to somehow control the prices of oil in Afghanistan and prevent it from being sold at a price higher than the international price.

Maulana Zaheer, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Trade, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the rise in international oil prices had led to a rise in prices in Kabul.

He added that there was no problem in importing oil to Afghanistan and it imports continued normally.

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