WFP: Afghan Laborers’ Purchasing Power Falls 25% Amid Rising Food Costs

WFP: Afghan Laborers’ Purchasing Power Falls 25% Amid Rising Food Costs
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The World Food Programme (WFP) reports that Afghanistan’s unskilled laborers have lost 25% of their purchasing power compared with last year, as fewer job opportunities, declining wages and high food prices continue to strain household budgets.

According to the agency’s weekly market report for the first week of October, laborers found work for an average of just two days per week, while daily wages averaged 295 afghanis, or about $4.50. Purchasing power was 30% below the three-year average.

Several essential foods remained more expensive than a year earlier, including rice, cooking oil, wheat flour and potatoes. Higher fuel and fertilizer costs are also adding pressure to household incomes and agricultural production.

WFP warned that limited employment and weak purchasing power continue to undermine families’ access to food, despite relatively modest price changes in some commodities during the reporting week.