Afghani dips, fuel prices up

KABUL (PAN): The Afghan currency dipped against the US dollar, as fuel prices went up and other daily-use commodities’ rates remained unchanged during the outgoing week in Kabul, retailers said on Thursday.

The afghani depreciated against the greenback, moneychanger Ahmad Shah said, adding the buying rate of a US dollar was 57.5afs and 1,000 Pakistani rupees 550afs.

Last week’s exchange value of the greenback stood at 56.95afs and 1,000 rupees at 562afs. At the beginning of the current year, the exchange rate of a US dollar was 52.14 afs and Rs1000 534afs.

The price of diesel edged up by an afghani from 63 to 64afs a litre and petrol from 57 to 60afs, said Abdul Hadi, in charge of a pump station in the Wazirabad area.

Mohammad Sharif, a retailer, said he sold a kilogram of gas for 50afs the same price as last week.

Food prices saw no change, as a 50-kilogram bag of Pakistani sugar sold for 1,700afs, a 24-kg bag of rice for 1,700afs, a 5-kg tin of Momin ghee for 400afs, a kilo of African black tea for 210afs and the same quantity of Indonesian green tea for 175afs.

Haji Fazl Rahman, the Food Traders’ Union head, said the price of a 49-kg sack of Pakistani flour rose from 1200afs to 1220afs due to the decrease in imports from the neighbouring country.

But wholesale prices varied from retail rates in some parts of the city. Khan Ali, a shopkeeper in the Kart-i-Seh locality, sold a 24-kg sack of Pakistani rice for 2,200afs and 50-kg of sugar for 2,000afs, 49 kilograms of flour for 1,280afs.

He sold a 5-kg tin of ghee for 460afs, a kilo of black African team for 270afs and the same quantity of Indonesian green tea for 220afs.

Jeweller Abdul Basir said one gram of Arabian gold remained stable at 2,100afs and the same amount of the Iranian variety at 1,750afs.

myn/mud

Visits: 1