Cooking oil, flour, fuel prices down in Kabul

KABUL (Pajhwok): The prices of cooking oil, flour, and fuel declined, while gold surged in the outgoing week in Kabul, market sources said on Saturday.

Zmarai Safi, head of the Food Traders’ Association, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the price of a 16-litre bottle of Malaysian cooking oil decreased from 2,100afs to 1,950afs, and a 49-kilogram sack of Kazakh flour from 1,450afs to 1,430afs.

He linked the decline to increased imports into Kabul markets.

Meanwhile, Safi added that the wholesale price of a 24-kg bag of Pakistani rice stayed stable at 3,500afs, a 49-kilogram bag of Indian sugar remained unchanged at 2,450afs, one kilogram of African black tea sold for 380afs, and the same quantity of Indonesian green tea at 350afs.

He noted that in some cases retail prices differ slightly from wholesale prices, while in others the difference is more significant.

Hamid Sufizada, a retailer at Dahna-i-Bagh market, put the retail price of a 49-kg bag of Kazakh flour at 1,480afs, a 24-kg bag of Pakistani rice at 3,550afs, and a 49-kg sack of Indian sugar at 2,500afs.

A 16-litre bottle of cooking oil accounted for 2,000afs, one kilogram of black tea for 430afs, and the same quantity of green tea for 400afs, he added.

Fuel prices down

A worker at the Ahmadyar pump station told Pajhwok the price of one litre of petrol decreased from 60afs to 59afs, while one litre of diesel fell from 63afs to 60afs.

However, Mohammad Jan Amin, a shopkeeper in the Dahan Bagh area of Kabul, said the price of one kilogram of liquefied gas fell from 55afs to 54afs. He attributed the change to colder weather and rising demand for liquefied gas.

Gold prices up

Mohammad Fawad, a jeweller in the Timor Shahi area, said the price of one gram of Arabian gold increased from 7,470afs to 8,000afs, while the same amount of the Russian variety rose from 5,900afs to 6,350afs.

Gold dealers said fluctuations in local gold prices are linked to changes in international markets.

Currency rates

Haji Mohammad Hussain, owner of the Sadaqat Money Exchange Service, said one US dollar traded for 66.30afs, while 1,000 Pakistani rupees exchanged for 225afs.

During the previous week, one US dollar cost 66.50afs and 1,000 Pakistani rupees 227afs.

hz/sa