Chora District, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan — Shopkeepers in Chora District of Uruzgan Province in the south of the country say their businesses have sharply declined this year, with some reporting their daily incomes have fallen from 200–400 Afghanis ($2.7 to $5.5) to as little as 50 Afghanis (60 cents).
On a small street corner in the district’s main market, a cobbler sits behind a modest stall, stitching worn shoes in the hope of earning enough for a meal. He recalled that in previous years he could make 200 to 400 Afghanis a day, but now struggles to bring in even 50.
Abdul Karim, a local resident, said he earns just 30 to 40 Afghanis a day. “There is no business anymore, and this work requires expenses,” he said. “I only make about 30 or 40 Afghanis a day.”
Shopkeepers blame the worsening economic conditions on several factors, including the broader poverty affecting local residents and increased competition from returnees — internally displaced Afghans who have set up similar businesses in Uruzgan.
“There is no business at all,” said Eliasuddin, another shopkeeper. “By God, I have no flour, no rice, nothing else. We haven’t seen meat for months. Our problems are endless.”
Residents say economic hardships across Uruzgan are worsening by the day, with poverty and unemployment continuing to rise.
