Afghanistan, Sept. 14 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says prices of several essential food items in Afghanistan have increased over the past year, putting additional pressure on household purchasing power and agricultural producers.
According to a WFP market report published Monday, the price of wheat has risen by 13 percent compared with the same period last year. Medium-quality wheat flour increased by 12 percent, while high-quality flour rose by 7 percent.
Rice recorded some of the sharpest increases. The price of palawi rice rose by 22 percent, while shola rice increased by 35 percent, according to the WFP data. Cooking oil was 14 percent more expensive than a year earlier, while sugar prices increased by 11 percent....