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Security Council Food Prices Soar in Afghan Capital
By Amir Shah
Associated Press
December 13, 1999Kabul - Hundreds of men wrapped in blankets against subzero temperatures pushed and shoved each other Monday, trying to reach a turbaned soldier handing out subsidized flour to Taliban government workers.
Nearby, a woman shivered inside a ragged burqa and described the struggle of trying to feed her six children. "I bought the cheapest rice and cooking oil," said the woman, who identified herself only as Shafiqa. For the rice, she haggled with the shopkeeper, who wanted the equivalent of 25 cents and finally ended up paying 22 cents - nearly half her monthly food income. "This is not living," she said, then walked away quickly as an official of the ruling Taliban approached.
Mohammed Asif, the Taliban soldier distributing 55-pound sacks of flour to government workers, said they were intended for the poorest Taliban government workers. "We ask them to show their identify cards," he said. The Taliban price for the flour - about 12 cents a pound - is less than half the market price. The Taliban bought the flour two months ago at reduced prices from the Central Asian nation of Kyrgystan, Asif said.
Last week, the World Food Program warned of a serious food shortage this winter due to soaring wheat prices, a bad harvest and reduced supplies from neighboring Pakistan - the result of efforts by Pakistan's new military rulers to halt smuggling across its porous border with Afghanistan. Smuggling is believed to cost Pakistan billions of dollars in lost revenue from import and sales taxes.
Afghan officials, however, blame U.N. sanctions imposed Nov. 14 to pressure the ruling Taliban army to hand over suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden for trial - even though the sanctions do not directly effect food or humanitarian aid. A survey of Kabul's largest food market showed prices of nearly everything have nearly doubled in the last 10 days. Jan Aga, a store owner, said a 220-pound sack of flour costs twice what it did 10 days ago. In Kabul, where the average monthly income is barely $6, many of the poorest people have been forced to borrow to buy food.
"People are desperate. Everyday they are worrying how will I be able to feed my family?" said Mohammed Shah, a resident who trudged through the streets pulling a sack of flour behind him on a wooden cart. In Islamic Afghanistan, most people also are observing the daytime fast to mark the holy month of Ramadan. In the evenings, "everyone wants something nice to eat. But we have nothing," Shah said.
More Information on Afghanistan Sanctions
