Flour, sugar prices down in Kabul

KABUL (Pajhwok): The prices of Kazakh flour and Indian sugar decreased while the rates of rice and gold increased during the outgoing week in Kabul, market sources said on Saturday.

Food items

Zmarai Safi, head of the Food Traders’ Association, said the price of a 49-kg of Indian sugar went down from 2,450afs to 2,400afs and a 49-kg of Kazakh flour from 1,600afs to 1,550afs.

But a 24-kg bag of Pakistani rice surged from 2,800 to 2,850afs.

He linked the rise in prices with Pakistan’s decision to close all trade routes with Afghanistan.

However, he said the prices of some other food items remained unchanged as a 16-litre of Malaysian cooking oil stayed stable at 2,000afs, one kilogram of African black tea at 380 afghanis, and one kilogram of Indonesian green tea at 350 afghanis,.

Hamid Sufizada, a retailer at Dahna-i-Bagh market, put the retail price of a 49-kg bag of Kazakh flour at 1,600afs, a 24-kg bag of Pakistani rice at 2,900afs and a 49-kg sack of Indian sugar at 2,450afs.

A 16-litre bottle of cooking oil accounted for 2,050afs, one kilogram of black tea for 430afs and the same quantity of green tea for 400afs, he added.

Gold prices

Mohammad Fawad, a jeweller in Timor Shahi area, said the price of one gram of Arabian gold went up from 6,970afs to 7,100afs and the same amount of the Russian variety surged from 5,520afs to 6,500afs.

He attributed the change to the global market trend.

Fuel prices

A worker at Ahmadyar pump station said the prices of petrol and diesel remained unchanged at 65 and 70 afghanis per litre respectively.

Shopkeeper Mohammad Jan Amin said a kilogram of liquefied gas was sold for 52 afghanis, the same rate as last week.

Currency exchange

Haji Mohammad Hussain, owner of the Sadaqat Money Exchange Service, said one US dollar was traded for 66.40 afghanis, while 1,000 Pakistani rupees were exchanged for 227 afghanis—similar to last week.

hz/ma