Global food, energy prices putting pressure on Afghan households

KABUL (Agencies): The World Bank in its latest report on Afghanistan has said that global food and energy prices continue to put pressure on basic household prices in the crisis-stricken country.
At the same time, rising inflation and slow recovery in nominal wages have decreased people’s ability to buy basic goods.
The World Bank report has confirmed that since June 2022, Afghanistan’s currency has depreciated slightly against the US dollar while the prices of basic food and fuel items continue the upward trend.
Abdullah Rezaei who has been working as a shoemaker for almost half of his life, says he had never experienced such economic conditions before.
In the meantime, widespread joblessness is leaving many Afghan families without a solution to make ends meet.
This comes as the World Food Program has warned that Afghanistan is facing its most serious risk of famine in 20 years. The UN body has asked for 1.1 billion dollars in life-saving assistance for 18 million people across Afghanistan.
The ripple effects of the US sanctions and freezing of billions of dollars in Afghan assets following the Taliban takeover are pushing up inflation in Afghanistan. People here are calling for the release of the assets and more international funding for the country.