Highlights
- National Consumer Price Index (CPI): Compared to March 2009, overall CPI decreased by 5.2 %, with a drop in the food index by 8.2 percent points and non-food index by 0.4 percent points. Bread and cereal index reflected a decrease of 16.2 %.
- The prices of wheat flour in most of the main urban markets indicated following changes:
- Decline of 5% compared to March 2009;
- Decline of 45.3% compared to April 2008;
- Increase of 49.7% compared to April 2007 (still very high compared to normal year).
- The average price of wheat in April 2009 was reported at Afghanis 20/kg, which is lower then the price in March 2009, 30% lower compared to the price in April 2008 but 53% higher compared to April 2007 (normal /long term wheat flour price).
- In the border markets, the price of imported wheat flour in April 2009 compared to March 2009 decreased by 12% on average.
- In Afghanistan, wheat price in April 2009 was 65% higher than the international prices, 56% than the prices in Delhi (India) and 18% than the price of wheat in Karachi (Pakistan).
- The terms of trade between wheat and labour in April 2009 compared to March 2009 increased by 5.6% on average.
- The terms of trade between a sheep and kg of wheat in April 2009 increased on average by 5.2% compared to March 2009.
- Wheat and wheat flour wholesaler: a relatively large number of traders are physically located in the wholesale markets. Their main source for flour is from the large import merchants.
