Kabul and several Afghan provinces are grappling with a sharp rise in fuel prices, straining household budgets and disrupting daily life.
Local media report that over the past month, petrol prices have increased by 4 Afghanis per liter, diesel by 6 Afghanis, and liquefied gas by 2 Afghanis per kilogram.
The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment attributes the surge to a 150 dollars per ton rise in global fuel prices, a ban on low-quality imports, and export hurdles from Russia and Kazakhstan. Citizens fear rising fuel costs will further inflate food and essential goods prices, worsening the country’s already fragile economic situation.
The sharp rise has sparked frustration among drivers and commuters, with many worried about its ripple effects on food costs and essential goods, local media reported on Saturday.
Citing findings, Afghan media outlet TOLO news reported that over the past four weeks, the price of one liter of petrol has surged by 4 Afghanis(official Afghan currency), diesel by 6 Afghanis, and liquefied gas by 2 Afghanis per kilogram.
The taxi drivers in the country complain that the hike in fuel prices has created serious challenges for them, while no authority takes responsibility for addressing the crisis.
“This is all the traders’ doing. After ten days, they sit together and raise the price of fuel and gas. In the past month alone, fuel prices have gone up by 11 Afghanis,” TOLO news quoted taxi driver Mohammad Tahir as saying.
“Fuel gets expensive, gas gets expensive, and no one is accountable. Nobody even asks why the prices have risen. If one truck breaks down in Salang, fuel and gas prices go up here in Kabul,” another driver said.
Several drivers in Kabul urged the Afghan authorities to take urgent measures regarding the surge in fuel costs.
“My complaint is against the national traders. They are influential people, big businessmen of the country. When they increase fuel and gas prices by 10 Afghanis, they only reduce them by 1 Afghani later. The same happens with food prices,” said Sher Ahmad.
Raising concern, another taxi driver who works in Kabul said, “All this must be taken seriously, and traders must be held accountable. When the dollar rises, prices go up, but when it drops, prices remain the same.”
According to the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, the three reasons for the surging prices are a $150 hike per ton of fuel in global markets, a ban on low-quality fuel imports, and challenges with fuel exports from Russia and Kazakhstan.
