For those living on the edge , COVID-19 means deepening poverty
by Hannah Denys
In Afghanistan , Pakistan , and
Tajikistan , most people rely on agriculture , small-scale manufacturing , and service-related businesses to support their families — all types of work that can ’ t be done remotely . Thus , when the coronavirus hit , the governments of these countries had to make a difficult decision : either close borders and businesses to keep people safe while risking major losses in families ’ incomes and devastating the national economy , or allow borders and businesses to remain open while risking increased infection rates .
In early 2020 , the three countries opted to close borders and businesses and impose lockdowns . This not only made it impossible for farmers to reach markets to sell their goods , it also restricted the flow of imported food . As a result , the price of food and essential household goods soared . In Afghanistan , for example , the price of a 50 kg bag of flour went from $ 15 to $ 33 over the course of a few months . In Pakistan , the price of potatoes , a local staple , increased by 46 %. The price of beans , cooking oil , rice , and other basic items also skyrocketed . With workers earning less income and prices increasing , people were having a hard time feeding their families .
“ Before the outbreak , we used to sell between 2,000 and 3,000 loaves of bread each day ,” said Mustafa , a baker in Kabul , Afghanistan . “ Now , we don ’ t even sell 1,000 loaves . Our customers tell me that they have lost their jobs because of COVID and they can ’ t afford to buy bread like they used to . Some tell me that they have to save their money , planning for the worst , because they don ’ t know when things will get back to normal .”
Country-wide lockdowns and border closings also caused unemployment to spike . The many men and women who work as day laborers and in local trades were among the first to lose their jobs or see their incomes decrease , but they won ’ t be the last . In the coming months , Gallup estimates that the unemployment rate in Pakistan will surge to a whopping 28 %. By way of comparison , the unemployment rate in the United States averaged 5.76 % from 1948 until 2020 , reaching an alltime high of 14.7 % in April of 2020 . 1
In Afghanistan , the Ministry of Economy reports that 59 % of Afghans have “ vulnerable ” jobs , with more than 700,000 people working as daily wage earners . According to the World Bank , the poverty rate in Afghanistan is expected to increase up to 72 % throughout 2020 . In Tajikistan , close to 40 % of World Bank survey respondents said that no member of their family had worked in the preceding seven days , compared to 20 % in March . 2
Ajmal worked in a hotel kitchen before COVID-19 hit . “ When the outbreak shook Afghanistan and the government enforced a lockdown in the city , the hotel closed . I lost my job .” He was one of 50 employees who were let go .
“ I am 25 years old and the eldest son of my parents ,” Ajmal continued . “ I have four siblings younger than me who go to school . So , I decided to buy an ice cream cart and sell ice cream for a living . COVID has made life difficult . Many people like me have lost their jobs , but thankfully I could afford to buy this cart . There are a lot of people out there who lost their jobs and haven ’ t been able to find a way to make a living .”
b In Afghanistan , about 39 %, or nearly 11 million people , required emergency food assistance before the pandemic hit . 3
Compounding the problem is the sudden influx of migrant workers coming back to their home countries . Hundreds of thousands of Afghans and Tajiks work abroad — mainly in Russia , Iran , Pakistan , and China — because of the limited job opportunities in their home countries . They often send
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