Petrol, gas prices down in Kabul — Pajhwok

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. 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. 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…