Firewood price more than doubles in Khost: Residents

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): The price of firewood has more than doubled in southeastern Khost province compared to its last year’s rate, some residents complained on Monday.

This year, a kilogram of dry firewood is sold for 12.5 afghanis while the same quantity was sold for 5.3 afghanis last year.

Some residents said people’s economic situation had deteriorated this year and they could not afford to buy firewood to heat up their rooms in this bone-chilling cold spell.

Habib, a resident of Khost, told Pajhwok Afghan News they had been expecting a decrease in firewood prices this winter, but contrary to their expectations, its prices registered a two-fold increase.

“I cannot afford to buy firewood for being very expensive; its price was five afghanis per kilogram last year while it is now 12.5 afs per kilogram despite increased poverty.”

Royal Khan, who wanted to buy firewood, told Pajhwok Afghan News  the price of firewood had increased like the prices of other commodities.

He said many people even could not afford to buy basic things and they were forced to stay in cold rooms in the winter season.

“I bought some firewood on a rainy day, its price was 30afs higher than normal days, it is very hard for poor people to buy”, he said.

Firewood sellers accept the prices of firewood are very high compared to the previous years.

Mirza Gul, a seller, told Pajhwok Afghan News the reason behind the high price of firewood was the ban the government had imposed on forest trees cutting.

MirzaGul said the ban was good, but most people were jobless and the government should provide jobs to the youth.

“The wet woods are not allowed in the market, the dried firewood is very expensive. Tribal elders and the government allow no one cut the forest trees”.

Security officials say that the government has created a forest protection unit called Green Unit.

Khost police spokesman Mustaghfir Gurbuz, told Pajhwok Afghan News the Green Unit was tasked with preventing illegal cutting of forest trees.

He said the Green Unit personnel patrolled 24/7 in the forests and prevented illegal tree felling.

“The Green Unit has many achievements, it sent teams to create awareness and encourage the people not to cut forest trees,” Gurbuz said, asking residents to cooperate with the unit.

aw/ma

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