Herat, Afghanistan: The value of the Afghan currency fell, worsened the severe economic crisis and deepened poverty in a country where more than half the population was enough to eat.
Afghani lost more than 11% of its value against the US dollar in the day earlier this week, before getting back.
But the market remains fluctuati, and devaluation has had an impact on Afghanistan.
Afghan economy has been problematic when the international community frozes billions of Afghan assets from Afghanistan abroad and stopped all international funding to the country after the Taliban assumed power in mid-August in the midst of withdrawal of US troops and NATO.
The consequence has been terrible for countries that depend on foreign assistance.
Afghanistan is also scheduled to access around $ 450 million on August 23 from the International Monetary Fund, but the IMF blocked the release because of the “lack of clarity” about the country’s new ruler.
Since then, international envoy has warned economic destruction and looming humanitarian disaster.
“People don’t have money and prices have gone up,” said Sayed Umid, a 28-year-old shopkeeper who sells staple food items such as rice, nuts and pulses on the main shopping street in the city of Herat Western Afghanistan.
“Since this morning I haven’t had one customer yet,” he said.
With rent to pay in the store and expenditure of his house, he was worried he could no longer meet the needs.
Khan Afzal Hawawal, a former acting governor of the Afghan central bank, said that sanctions against the Taliban and the freezing of Afghan reserve funds “has placed the economy that depends on the country’s aid on the threshold of the full economy, which leads to the depreciation of the historic currency.” “Development Agent , donors, international communities, US, all of this must help in this crisis, “he said.
“We understand the concerns of the international community but there is a mechanism (it) can help manage the crisis and to help Afghans.” According to the United Nations World Food Program, 22.8 million of 38 million Afghans have faced acute food insecurity, and malnutrition in this country increase.
The combination of the Coronavirus pandemic, severe drought and Taliban takeover has left a lot of work without work, and the value of the currency shear has pushed food prices.
Jafar Agha’s shopkeeper said the price of large cooking oil containers was around 700 Afghanistan three months ago (approximately $ 8 at the time), but now costs around 1,800 Afghanistan (around $ 18).
“ My business fell to zero, “he said.
“ I don’t sell because people don’t have money.
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we don’t have hope for the future of lumps of cash.
A guard who holds Taser makes the entrance free from a crush, the sound click sharp enough to send excessive exchange money to the exchange.
Wednesday is not a good day for traders, said Nadir.
He sold the US dollar at the level of 105 Afghanistan, but then bought in 113 Afghanis with dollars when the currency began to slide and he was worried it might fall further.
“The situation is very bad.
When prices increase, we cannot find dollars,” he said.
In early August, Afghani traded around 80 to dollars, jumped to around 90 in October.
It briefly jumped from 110 on Sunday to 123 on Monday, before rolling it up.
On Thursday it traded around 100 Afghanists with dollars.
For Farzad Haidari, a 34-year-old player who imports and sells female scarves and scarves, currency fluctuations have brought havoc on his business.
Importing many of his belongings from Iran’s neighbors and with rent in his shop in shopping centers in Central Herat set out in dollars, he saw a lot of evaporation income.
If the situation continues and the price continues to increase, he said, he can be forced to close his shop.
“Previously, when there was uncertainty because of war, we had our business,” he said.
“Now there is security, but we lose our business.”