Prices of basic food stuff have escalated since the start of Ramadan.
The municipality in Mazar-e-Sharif last week fixed the rates for rice, oil, bread, meat, beans and other food items in an effort to protect consumers.
The municipality in Mazar-e-Sharif last week fixed the rates for rice, oil, bread, meat, beans and other food items in an effort to protect consumers. Market rumours claim the sudden price rise is the result of “transit problems” but what exactly these are is not known. The media are left to speculate.
Afghanistan is dependent on food imports to feed its people. In such a situation any fluctuation in the world market or strains in relations with its neighbouring countries reflect immediately on food prices.
However, there have been no reports of unusual food price rise in Afghanistan’s neighbourhood.
Yet in Mazar the “cost of food stuff and other things have reached its highest level and people’s economic power has fallen to the lowest level,” complains Baba Ghausuddin, a local resident.
He believes that officials and traders are hand in glove in and “do not want to decrease the prices.”
He says many families cannot afford to buy bread or even a block of ice, the price of which has gone this month from 35 to more than 100 Afs (one USD is roughly 46 Afs), according to Mohammad Nasser, an ice retailer.
Poor Hit Hardest
Haji Mohammad Hakim who sells seasonal vegetables on a push-cart says it’s very hard to feed a family on what he earns. He feels particularly upset because this is the month of fasting. “My children wait for whichever charity is ready to feed them,” he weeps as he talks.
“I am so ashamed when I cannot feed my children,” he adds. He says that recently he gave his son 10 Afs to buy ice to cool the family’s drinks at Iftar but he returned empty-handed.
Haji Mohammad Ajan Ahmadzay, who heads the department in charge of markets in Mazar, blames traders for the unprecedented rise in prices. “There is no problem in terms of production (of goods), global prices have not changed and there is no limitation on transit (bringing imports across the border into Afghanistan). But there are wholesellers and retailers who are misusing the open market policy,” he says.
Arbitrary Increase
How it works in Mazar is that the municipality has announced a price list, which was worked out in coordination with eight state-run organisations. The municipality fines any trader who is found charging more, according to Ahmadzay.
People in Mazar say bread is the only thing they are charged at municipality rates.
The hike in prices has affected everything from food to tailors’ rates. A kilogramme of lamb meat is 250 Afs (5 USD) and sugar is 65 Afs. Tailors have upped their rates from 200 Afs to 350 Afs(7 USD) for shalwar-kameez worn by most Afghan men. It is customary for everyone to get one new set of clothes tailored during Ramadan that will be worn on Eid.
Meanwhile, traders who Killid spoke to claim they were not aware of the prices fixed by the municipality. Mohammad Yosouf, a retailer, insists, “No one has distributed a list of prices to me yet and I am not aware about it.”
