Flour, ghee & rice prices down as afghani surges

KABUL (Pajhwok): The prices of flour, ghee and rice declined in capital Kabul after the Afghan currency gained some value against the US dollar during the outgoing week, market sources said Saturday.

Food Traders Union head Fazal Rahman told Pajhwok Afghan News that the price of a 24-kilogram bag of Pakistani rice declined from 2,100 afghanis to 2,000 afghanis.

He said the past week saw the price of a 50-og bag of Kazakhstani flour going down from 1,200 afghanis to 1,150afs and of a 16-liter tin of Khurshid ghee from 1,080afs to 1,030afs.

Rahman linked the decline in prices of the mentioned food items to the surge in the afghani value against the American dollar. However, he said the price of 49kg of Pakistani sugar stayed stable at 1,600afs.

According to Haji Mir Hussain Sadaqat, owner of Sadaqat Money Exchange Services in Kabul, one US dollar accounted for 72.35afs and 1,000 Pakistani rupees 562afs against last week’s 73.15afs and 562afs.

Noor Ahmad Khairkhwa, a tea seller in Kabul Mandavi, said a kilogram of Indonesian green tea cost 280afs and the same amount of African black tea 300afs -- same prices as last week’s.

Ahmad Wali Panjsheri, who owns a grocery store in Dahn-i-Bagh area of Kabul, sold a 50-kg sack of Kazakhstani flour for 1,250afs, a 49-kg bag of sugar for 1,700afs, 24-kg of Pakistani rice 2,400afs a 16-litre tin of ghee for 1,130afs, one-kg of Indonesian green tea for 300afs and the same amount of black African tea for 350afs—higher than wholesale rates.

The oil price also remains steady.

Abdul Hadi, a worker at Wazirabad fuel station in Kabul, said that one liter of petrol cost 55afs and the same quantity of diesel 47afs this week.

Ahmad Javid, a liquefied gas seller in Taimani area of Kabul, said the price of one kilogram of the commodity was stood at 60afs.

Haji Fawad Ahmad Salehzada, a jeweler in Timor Shahi area of Kabul said that one gram of Arabian gold cost 2,350afs and the same quantity of Russian variety 1,800afs, no changes have recorded in the gold prices.

mds