Firewood, coal prices jump in Kabul by 50pc

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some residents and shopkeepers in the capital Kabul have said that on the eve of the fall season the prices of firewood and coal jumped by 50 percent now compared to the same time last year.

Sayed Moqim, one of the firewood sellers in the Chaman-i-Babar area of Kabul’s Taimani locality, said today (Thursday) the price of 560 kilograms of Balut firewood accounted of 12,000 afs and the same quantity of Archa firewood 1,350 afs.

He said last year in the same time the price of 560 kilograms of Balut firewood was 8,000 afs and the same quantity of Arch firewood 8,000 afs.

He said the price of firewood had surged because of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) ban on deforestation.

Sayed Moqim said most of firewood arrived in the country from northern provinces and Nangarhar province.

He said: “We ask the IEA to allow the transfer of already stored firewood in forests, it would help reduce firewood price in Kabul and people could not purchase firewood due to economic problems.”

Farooq, one of the firewood sellers in the Char Rahi-i-Shaheed locality, said the price of Balut firewood jumped due to ban on its import.

He said today (Thursday), the price of 560 kilograms of Balut firewood is 11,500 afs and the price of a 560 kilograms of Archa firewood is 12,000 afs, while at the same time last year, the price of 560 kilograms of firewood tree was sold for 8,000 afs and the same quanity of firewood was sold for 7,500 afs.

He said that the price of firewood has increased due to the IEA ban deforestation.

Farooq said that most of the firewood came from Nangarhar and Khost provinces and added that due to the lack of Balut firewood in the market, people had to cut down mulberry trees.

He asked the officials of the IEA to control the price of fuel and firewood.

Naseebullah, a resident of Chaharrahi Shahid in Kabul city, told Pajhwok that he had saved some money to buy fuel for winter, but he could not buy it due to the increase in the price of wood.

He asked the IEA to control the price of wood so that poor people do not face problems in the winter season.

However, Amir Mohammad Kabuli, the general head of the Kabul Wood and Coal Sellers Union in the Afghanistan Chamber of Craftsmen and Shopkeepers, confirmed the increase in the price of wood in Kabul and said that about two years ago, deforestation in the southern provinces was prohibited by the relevant bodies of the caretaker government. .

He said that following ban on cutting forests, the supply of firewood in the markets has decreased and its price increased.

He said, for this reason, this union has repeatedly requested to reconsider this matter and they continue their efforts to find a solution in this regard.

He said that currently, due to the ban on chopping Balut, most of the wood found in the markets is from fruit trees, especially mulberry trees, apricot trees, apples, etc., which are brought from the districts of Shekar Dara, Paghman and Chahar Asia; Because people cut down and sell their trees that have no fruit or are dry.

He asked the caretaker government to find an alternative to firewood or to allow the import of wood to flow..

Pajhwok Afghan News tried to get a response from one of the relevant departments of the caretaker government, but relevant official was not reached for comment