KABUL (Pajhwok): The prices of petrol and liquefied gas declined, while the rates of sugar, cooking oil and gold increased during the outgoing week in Kabul markets.
Fuel prices
A worker at the Ahmadyar fuel station said the price of one litre of petrol decreased from 82afs to 80afs, while diesel remained unchanged at 74afs.
Mohammad Jan Amin, a shopkeeper in Kabul’s Dahan-i-Bagh area, said the price of one kilogram of liquefied gas fell from 75afs to 68afs.
Fuel dealers attributed the decline in prices to increased oil imports from Iran.
According to them, Afghanistan previously imported most of its fuel from Russia. However, with the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war and Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities and reserves, fuel imports from Russia have declined.
Food items
Zamari Safi, head of the Food Traders Union in Kabul, said the wholesale price of a 49-kilogram sack of Indian sugar increased from 2,700afs to 2,800afs, while a 16-litre bottle of Malaysian cooking oil rose from 1,900afs to 2,000afs.
He said the closure of the Strait of Hormuz had halted imports of these commodities, which were previously entering Afghanistan through the route, resulting in higher prices in Kabul markets.
According to Safi, the prices of other essential food items remained stable, with a 49-kilogram sack of Kazakh flour selling for 1,600afs, a 24-kilogram bag of Indian rice for 2,500afs, one kilogram of African black tea for 380afs and one kilogram of Indonesian green tea for 350afs.
Hamid Sufizada, a retailer in the Dahan-i-Bagh market, said a 49-kilogram sack of Kazakh flour sold for 1,650afs, a 24-kilogram bag of Indian rice for 2,550afs and a 49-kilogram sack of Indian sugar for 2,850afs.
He added a 16-litre bottle of cooking oil sold for 2,050afs, while one kilogram of black tea cost 400afs and green tea 430afs.
Gold prices
Mohammad Fawad, a jeweller in the Timor Shahi area, said the price of one gram of Arabian gold increased from 6,960afs to 7,030afs, while Russian gold rose from 5,550afs to 5,620afs per gram.
Gold traders said fluctuations in local gold prices were linked to changes in international markets.
Currency rates
Haji Mohammad Hussain, owner of Sadaqat Money Exchange Service, told Pajhwok Afghan News one US dollar was traded at 66afs, while 1,000 Pakistani rupees exchanged for 230afs.
Last week, one US dollar traded at 66afs and 1,000 Pakistani rupees at 230afs.
hz/sa
