KABUL: Prices of gas, flour and petrol declined during the outgoing week in Kabul, where gas rates varied from one neighbourhood to another, retailers said on Thursday.
The rate of one litre of diesel came down from 37 afghanis to 33afs and the same quantity of petrol from 44afs to 40afs, said a filling station worker in Wazirabad locality, Abdul Hadi.
Mohammad Farooq, a liquefied gas dealer in Cinema Baharistan neighborhood, sold a kilogram of gas for 45afs, compared with last week’s price of 50afs.
Asked why he was charging a higher price than the one fixed by the government, he replied: “I’m selling quality stuff while the rest of dealers are offering sub-standard gas.”
He had purchased the gas for 40afs per kilo in the wholesale market, the dealer argued, saying he could not afford to sell it at a cheaper rate.
But Mohammad Hussain, another dealer in Taimaniarea, sold a kilo of gas for 38afs. Last week he sold the same quantity of gas for 45af.
“Driven by mercenary motives, some gas dealers have no sense of justice. The quality of gas is the same,” he commented, saying he had received no complaint regarding quality.
The wholesale price of the gas is 34.5afs in Kabul, he added.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Commerce and Industriesspokesman Musafir Quqandi said: “We have an open-market system, so we can’t do anything. Whenever gas is sold at a higher price, we intervene in the market.”
Per 560 kilograms of unpeeled oak accounted for 6,500afs while the same quantity of cedar cost 6,300afs, the same prices as last week’s, said a firewood stall owner Khan Mohammad.
The rates of flour and sugar also fell while other food item prices remained unchanged during the week, Food Traders’ Union head Fazal Rahman said.
A 49-kilogram sack of Pakistani flour sold for 1,340afs compared with last week’s price of 1,440afs. The value of a 49-kg bag of sugar declined to 1800afs from 1900afs.
The prices of ghee, rice and tea remained stable. A 16-kg tin of Momin ghee stayed stable at 970afs and a 25-kg bag of rice at 1650 afs, he said.
A kilo of green tea accounted for 220afs and the same amount of African black tea for 240afs, said a dealer, Fazal Ahmad.
But a retailer in Dahn-i-Bagh area, Qurban Ali, sold a 49-kg sack of Pakistani flour for 1,450afs, the same quantity of sugar for 1950afs, a 24-kg sack of rice for 1,900afs, a 16-kg Momin ghee tin at 1050afs and a kilogram of green tea for 260afs.
Mohammad Fawad, a jeweller in Timor Shahi neighbourhood, said gold prices saw no change. One gram of Arabian gold sold for 2,100afs and the same quantity of the Russian variety for 1,750afs.
According to Sadaqat Exchange Services, the buying rate of one US dollar was 68.60afs, while 1,000 Pakistani rupees accounted for 637afs. Last week’s exchange value of the dollar stood at 68.60afs and 1,000 Pakistani rupees at 638afs.
