Traders concerned over fare rise in southwestern routes of country

Some members of the private sector who trade with Iran are complaining about the increase in fares on the southwestern routes of the country and they call on the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation to take action to resolve the issue.

Afghan Traders have expressed concern, saying that due to the fare increase, dozens of containers of their commercial goods are stopped in Nimruz province at the zero point between Afghanistan and Iran.

“We import eggs from Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Pakistan. A major problem we have is that the Ministry of Transport used to charge us 65,000 afghanis for two kilometers of road. Now, it has been five days since 50 containers of traders’ goods were stopped at zero point and we are told to pay a fare of 90,000 to 100,000 afghanis,” said Mohammad Zahir, a trader who imports eggs and chicken meat.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said that full preparations have been made to solve the problems of the private sector.

A committee consisting of several government departments, including the ministry of transport, has been formed to determine the fare, officials said.

“If someone has a complaint, we have a complaint number. If someone has a complaint in the rent matter that is high and has a reason, we are ready to sit with him to convince him,” said Imamuddin Ahmadi, a spokesman for the ministry.

The Afghan Union Transportation Companies, however, said they are ready to continue their activities based on the decision of the joint committee once it determines the fares.