Concerns have increased following continuation of wheat trafficking to neighboring countries particularly, Pakistan. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has banned wheat trafficking to foreign countries.
Meanwhile, there are also concerns over the increasing price of flour in the country’s markets.
According to residents in Farah, the price of 5kg wheat in Farah province has reached to 220 Aghani although wheat products have been better this year in the province. The residents have warned the price will further soar if wheat trafficking to continues Pakistan.
Currently, the price of one bag of flour in Kabul market is nearly 3,000 afghani and it is said that the price will further increase in the coming days as wheat trafficking to Pakistan continues. Residents of Farah ask the Islamic Emirate to prevent wheat trafficking to neighboring countries, or the people will face with lack of flour in the country.
After reports of wheat trafficking to neighboring countries, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) ordered the country’s customhouses to not allow anybody to traffic a single grain of wheat to outside. Acting Minister of Finance Hedayatullah Badri by sending a message to all customhouses ordered that wheat trafficking process should be banned.
According to a number of residents of Farah, traffickers do collect wheat from Farah markets on daily basis and illegally deliver it to Pakistan markets after being loaded in trucks.
The residents said that lots of vehicles were loaded and sent to the neighboring countries, asking the IEA to prevent from wheat trafficking to outside.
In the meantime, shopkeepers in Farah markets are concerned of soaring price of wheat and flour in the province. They say that they are facing with lack of wheat; therefore, the price of wheat is increasing.
According to a number of shopkeepers, previously price of 5kg of wheat had been 120 – 150 afghani, but now the price of wheat has been doubled in Farah markets.
The price of wheat is increasing in Farah province despite of increasing wheat products in the province. According to some farmers in the province, most agricultural fields and climate for the cultivation of wheat is perfect; therefore, most farmers have recently turned to cultivate wheat on their fields.
The farmers are happy with their wheat harvest as wheat products have been better comparing to previous years.
Farmers say that despite of increasing wheat products, price of this key product is increasing by passing each single day because a big amount of wheat is disappearing in Farah markets. Increasing wheat trafficking to outside and concerns of farmers and people over gradually lack of wheat and flour in the country comes as millions of people are facing with increasing poverty and hunger in Afghanistan.
According to officials of the Afghanistan ministry of agriculture, irrigation and livestock, Afghanistan needs 2 million tons of wheat to address the problems.
Following banning wheat trafficking to outside, the people of Afghanistan expressed gratitude to the order issued by the IEA for banning wheat trafficking to neighboring countries. Amiri
