Afghanistan has been hit by a spike in prices of essential goods including food and medicines, as shortages and panic buying increase in the face of a rising coronavirus threat, residents and retailers said.
As per Reuters report, Coronavirus cases have shot up in Afghanistan in the last few days, approaching 200, but with limited ability to test, health officials fear the situation is more serious than it seems and could worsen in coming days.
Mustafa, a Kabul shopkeeper, said higher prices at wholesale markets had forced him to put up retail prices for items such as onions and potatoes, which had nearly doubled.
“If this continues, not only will prices triple but it will be impossible to find these items in the market,” he said.
The government ordered a lockdown in Kabul over the weekend, adding to the unease of residents.
“Whenever my family gets an opportunity to go out in the lockdown we grab food in fear we may not be able to find things tomorrow,” Kabul resident Ahmad Farhad, 25, told Reuters.
The coronavirus fears have pushed up demand in all major cities, a member of Afghanistan’s chamber of industries and mines, Abul Basir Reshtia, said.
