Economic hardship in western Afghanistan’s Badghis province has grown so severe that some residents are buying flour only by the kilo, local shopkeepers say. They warn that business has slowed and daily survival has become increasingly difficult.
“We buy goods from wholesalers on credit and pay them back week by week. With the little capital we have, there are days when our total sales don’t even reach 100 afghanis,” said food vendor Abdul Ghafar. “Some people come into our shop and ask for just one kilo of flour — they cannot afford more. They say, ‘Give us rice for 20 afghanis.’”
Residents say jobs are nearly nonexistent and incomes remain meager. With persistent effort, families may manage to earn only 100 to 200 afghanis a day.
“The prices of all goods — flour, rice, cooking oil — have risen greatly. People are struggling,” said Hamidullah, a local resident. “Even if one person in a household has a job, others are facing severe economic difficulties.”
Another resident, Abdul Satar, added: “Life is very hard. I have two sons, ages 10 and 12, who work from morning to evening for 100 or 200 afghanis. This is how we survive.”
Local sources describe Badghis as one of Afghanistan’s more remote and hardship-stricken provinces, with most food supplies brought in via neighboring Herat. They say unemployment has risen sharply in recent months.
Similar concerns are echoed across Afghanistan, where worsening poverty and joblessness have driven residents to appeal to the international community and the United Nations not to forget the Afghan people in these difficult times.
