Da Afghanistan Bank (Central Bank) has banned the use of any foreign currency in Nimroz province, in order to promote the Afghan currency.
More than 90% of daily transactions in Nimroz are done in Iranian Tomans, but local officials in Nimroz say that from now on those who use foreign currency in their daily transactions will be dealt with seriously.
“We welcome the recent action in Nimroz province and call on all our compatriots to benefit from the use of Afghan currency in their domestic trade and their daily transactions,” said Saber Momand, Central Bank spokesman.
Meanwhile, residents of Nimroz welcome the restriction on the use of Iranian Tomans in this province, but emphasize that it is not possible to remove the Tomans from the market of Zaranj city at once.
“They have to do this with a plan because all the people are dealing with Iranian currency,” said Nematullah, a shopkeeper in Zaranj.
“They do not accept our currency. When we take the Afghan money to the market, it does not give us anything. If we take 100,000 they do not give us anything with it,” said Abdul Ghafar Tajik, a resident of Nimroz.
“When foreign currency or tomans are removed from daily transactions, it can be replaced by our Afghan currency and our Afghan currency can be circulated,” said Mohammad Hassan Mokhtar, an economist.
For decades, the residents of Nimroz province have been using the Iranian Toman in their trade and commercial affairs. Many residents of the province bordering Iran are unfamiliar with Afghan currency. In previous years, the former government had repeatedly banned the use of Iranian money in Nimroz, but those measures did not work.
The union of money exchangers of Sarai Shahzada said that it has been making all out efforts in coordination with Da Afghanistan Bank to prevent the smuggling of dollars.
“There are dollars deposited in Da Afghanistan Bank. It distributes dollars to the market when needed. We thwarted the propaganda of the enemies. The Afghan currency is at a good price now,” said Abdul Rahman Zirak, a spokesman for the union.
As Afghan currency lost its value against the dollar, the price of food, fuel and other commodities also spiked.
However, on Wednesday, the price of goods dropped as the US dollar saw a slight drop in exchange for Afs. “Because the dollar was at an expensive price, the price of commodities increased. But since yesterday, the rate of the dollar is normal–but no one can be confident about it,” said Mohammad Kazim a shopkeeper.
“We call on the current government to take big steps to bring the situation under control. Manage the money,” said Murtaza, a resident.—Tolonews
