KABUL, Afghanistan — The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has reported a slight decline in the prices of certain food and non-food items in Afghan markets over the past week.
According to the U.N. agency, this minor decrease follows price hikes in the second half of January, which were driven by the depreciation of the Afghan currency after the suspension of U.S. humanitarian aid.
“In comparison to the same period last year, food prices show a mixed trend—while some have declined, the cost of cooking oil, salt, and potatoes remains significantly higher,” the report stated.
The WFP also noted that labor availability and wages have increased compared with the same period last year.
The national average price of diesel last week stood at 61.6 Afghanis per liter, reflecting a 1 percent decline from the previous week but a 1 percent increase year over year.
Non-food item prices also saw a slight decrease, a change attributed to fluctuations in the exchange rate.
Despite this, WFP warned that limited employment opportunities in winter have pushed daily wages to their lowest levels of the year.
