Food vendors in Ghor Province say incomes have plummeted to unprecedented lows, with many reporting daily earnings of just a few hundred afghanis as purchasing power erodes and economic activity stalls.
“On a good day, we make 200 to 300 afghanis,” said Shah Jahan, a vendor in Tiwara district. “Some days we’re left with 40 or 50 afghanis after costs. People survive on dry bread. Poverty is everywhere.”
Vendors and residents describe a steep decline in local commerce, blaming a collapse in household income, high unemployment and limited access to markets. Several business owners said they can no longer meet even their most basic family needs.
“The three of us working this stall barely manage to cover our living expenses,” said Mullah Alam, another food seller. “Life here has become very hard.”
The economic hardship is particularly severe for young people, who face few job opportunities and limited prospects for labor migration. One local resident, Rafiullah, said two of his brothers were recently deported from Iran and have since remained unemployed.
“There’s no work here — and now we can’t even go to Iran,” he said.
While Ghor is one of the more remote and underdeveloped provinces in Afghanistan, similar reports of widespread poverty, joblessness and food insecurity are emerging across the country.
According to the United Nations, more than 20 million Afghans require immediate humanitarian assistance. In Ghor and elsewhere, residents are calling on international agencies not to abandon Afghanistan during what many describe as a deepening humanitarian emergency.
