Prices of daily-use items refuse to come down in Daikundi

NEILI (Pajhwok): A number of residents of central Daikundi province complain about the high prices of food and other daily-use items, seeking government’s intervention to address the issue.

They say despite the rise in the afghani’s value against the US dollar, prices of food and non-food items remain high.

Aman, a resident, told Pajhwok Afghan News prices of essential commodities were higher in Daikundi than other provinces and people were facing severe economic problems.

He said although the dollar’s rate had been slumping, no change had been seen in prices of essential commodities.

He asked the authorities concerned to monitor the market seriously and control prices to alleviate people’s suffering.

Sarwar, another resident, said: “I would buy a bag of flour for 1,800afs when one dollar accounted for 85afs. Now the dollar has fallen to 70afs, but no change has been seen in the prices of commodities.”

Maula Dad, a shopkeepers in Neili, argued the prices of goods remained high due to distant and inaccessible transportation routes.

He said they brought goods from Kabul, Ghazni and other provinces to Daikundi. He linked unchanged prices of basic items to their high transportation cost.

He said they purchased most of the daily-use commodities from domestic companies and carried out transactions in afghanis. .

“Some goods, however, are bought in dollars. When the dollar depreciates, , we suffer losses,” he explained.

Mohammad Younis Ghorzang, the mayor of Neili, said they were monitoring the market on a daily basis. However, shopkeepers neither charged higher prices nor resorted to hoarding.

He explained prices of food and clothing alone were higher in Daikundi due to lousy roads, but they were striving to convince shopkeepers not to charge more.

According to him, traders do not want to invest in Daikundi due to its inaccessibility. For this reason, prices here tend to be higher than in other provinces.

If roads in the province were built to standards, prices of goods would come down and other problems of people would also be addressed, he hoped.

hz/sa/mud

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