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Fuel prices rise in Herat as winter approaches
With Afghanistan’s harsh winter starting to settle in, residents of western Herat province have voiced concerns of the rise in prices of fuel, especially wood and coal.
Herat’s temperatures have dropped considerably in the past week, with Tuesday’s mercury reaching a high of only 7 degrees Celsius and a low of -1 degrees.
Residents say that they are struggling to heat their homes as they are unable to afford the high price of wood and coal.
With irregular supplies of electricity into the homes of Afghans across the country, most people rely on coal and wood-burning stoves to heat their homes.
One wood seller, Mohammad Azam said there has been a drop in wood deliveries from provinces.
“This year, the delivery of wood from the provinces has decreased by 90 percent. What comes is smuggled and on small vehicles through bad roads. That is why the prices have increased a lot,” says Mohammad Azam.
Ghulam Hazrat, another wood seller says: “I chop about half a ton of wood for 100 afghanis (USD$1.43). I chop a ton or a ton and a half a day, but it is not enough to meet the needs of my family.”
Unemployment and poverty have reduced people’s purchasing power. Many families cannot afford to buy basic necessities.
Abdul Jabbar, a resident of Herat, says: “I swear we cannot afford this year. You see how much 7 kgs of coal costs. There is also no electricity.”
Herat Municipality says they are trying to keep prices stable during the winter.
Abdul Hadi Noori, a spokesman for the Herat Municipality, says: “If prices have gone up in some areas, the reason is hoarding. The municipality’s team and the commission have started working and are monitoring the market.”
WFP warns of winter hardships
Millions of families across the country are being forced to make impossible choices between keeping their children warm or providing enough food, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned this week.
The organization reports that millions of families in Afghanistan, already struggling with food insecurity, are now having to make this difficult decision.
“Millions of families are enduring the cold of winter without sufficient food, and many are facing the heart-wrenching dilemma of choosing between feeding their children and keeping them warm,” WFP stated.
International aid agencies had warned that this winter would be particularly difficult for the people of Afghanistan, especially given the shortfall in funding for essential aid.
The WFP recently reported that in Afghanistan’s urban areas one in three families was unable to meet their basic living expenses.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has called a United Nations report on Afghan opiates “tailor-made political propaganda” saying such publications do not help combat drug trafficking in Afghanistan.
The ministry said that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report, published in late October, recorded an increase in the cultivation, production and distribution of Afghan opiates for the first time since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) imposed a ban in 2022.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the report, which the IEA has already rejected as politically motivated, appears unbalanced and relies on indirect evidence, including satellite images that are open to different expert interpretations.
According to UN estimates cited in the report, the area under poppy cultivation increased from 10,200 hectares in 2025 to 43,300 hectares in 2026, while opium production rose from 300 tonnes to 1,470 tonnes.
The ministry acknowledged that Afghanistan’s drug problem still exists and said authorities in Kabul are aware of the issue. It added that Afghan security forces conduct almost daily operations in various parts of the country to destroy drug laboratories and seize narcotics.
According to the statement, more than 7.4 tonnes of various narcotics and over 4.7 tonnes of precursor chemicals were seized in Afghanistan over the past week, while two drug laboratories were dismantled.
Cooperation between the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment and the Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce has paved the way for exporting potatoes from Bamyan province to the Uzbek market.
In this regard, Sayed Karim Hashemi, President of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, and Doran Vahabov, President of the Uzbekistan Chamber of Commerce, have agreed on the export of 100,000 tons of Bamyan potatoes to Uzbekistan. Work is underway to finalize the export agreement.
Meanwhile, the first shipment of potatoes, consisting of eight trucks, has departed for the Uzbek city of Termez through the Hairatan Port.
The chambers of commerce of both countries, in cooperation with local authorities in Bamyan, have facilitated connections between traders and farmers and coordinated the purchasing, marketing, and transportation of the produce. This initiative is expected to expand market opportunities for Bamyan farmers and strengthen trade between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan’s Prime Minister, Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk in Kabul on Thursday evening, emphasizing the need to strengthen bilateral relations and expand economic cooperation between the two countries.
According to a statement from the Presidential Palace, several senior officials from both countries attended the meeting, including Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and representatives of Russia’s political and economic sectors.
Akhund described Afghanistan’s security and stability as favourable conditions for foreign investment and thanked Moscow for recognizing the Islamic Emirate and supporting Afghanistan in international forums.
Meanwhile, Overchuk praised the security situation and developments in Afghanistan, expressing Russia’s interest in investing in various sectors of the country.
He said around 70 representatives of Russia’s private sector were accompanying the delegation and were expected to hold discussions with relevant ministries and institutions of the Islamic Emirate on trade and investment agreements, as well as ways to address existing obstacles.
The Russian deputy prime minister reaffirmed his country’s support for Afghanistan in various fields.
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