Residents of capital Kabul expressed concern over the high price of eggs and chicken in the markets, saying that prices have recently spiked by 50 percent.

According to residents, the price of one egg is 10 Afs in the market.

“Previously, one package of eggs was sold for 210Afs, it is now being sold for 300 Afs,” said Naveed Fazli, a resident of Kabul.

“The prices are rising, while the people are poor and cannot afford anything,” said Jan Agha, a resident of Kabul.

The Afghanistan Chamber of Agriculture and Livestock (ACAL) said that if the chicken farms are supported, domestic chicken and egg availability will increase, and prices will be reduced.

According to the ACAL, the farmers have invested nearly $2 billion in the farming of chicken and eggs.

“First of all, farmers should be encouraged to create job opportunities for our people. Second, our farmers should be provided with facilities,” said Mirwais Hajizada, deputy head of the ACAL.

Shopkeepers said an increase in tariffs on imports is the main reason for the rise of chicken and eggs’ prices in the country’s markets.

“Oil and gas are expensive. Thus, everything is expensive. Both the prices and the tariffs are increasing, thus the prices are spiking,” said Abdul Wadod, a shopkeeper.

“We don’t have products of our own. We just import. When we import products, we are obliged to sell at prices covering the cost of our purchases,” said Sana-ul-Haq Mirzai, a shopkeeper.

Afghanistan imports chicken and eggs from Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.