Monitoring Desk: Afghanistan could face a serious food crisis in the coming months due to the Taliban regime’s economic policies and growing regional trade disruptions, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) has warned, as humanitarian agencies report rising malnutrition among children across the country.
According to Afghan media outlet Khaama Press, business leaders say the country has only about one and a half months of food supplies available in local markets, raising fears that Afghanistan may face famine-like conditions if alternative trade routes are not established soon.
The warning comes amid what traders describe as a worsening economic crisis under the Taliban administration, which they say has implemented policies that are putting additional pressure on the private sector. Traders allege that the Taliban authorities are forcing merchants to sell imported food items at lower prices, further complicating business operations and discouraging imports.
Khan Jan Alkozay, a board member of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, criticized the Taliban’s economic management, saying that traders are being compelled to sell imported food items at reduced rates while facing rising costs due to regional tensions and trade disruptions.
Alkozay said that trade blockades with Pakistan and broader regional instability have pushed the prices of essential commodities upward, reduced import volumes, and increased fears of a looming shortage of food supplies across the country.
Experts warn that Afghanistan’s fragile economy is being further strained by restricted trade routes with Pakistan and the evolving regional situation involving Iran, both of which play key roles in Afghanistan’s supply chains.
Analysts say the landlocked country’s economic outlook has deteriorated since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, with Afghanistan facing severe diplomatic isolation and limited access to international financial systems. The resulting economic contraction, coupled with trade disruptions, has deepened poverty and reduced purchasing power for millions of Afghans.
Some observers argue that the Taliban leadership is attempting to manage growing public frustration by controlling prices and exerting pressure on traders, a move critics say could worsen supply shortages rather than resolve them.
At the same time, international humanitarian organizations warn that the country is already grappling with one of the world’s most severe food and nutrition crises.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the agency treated 610,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Afghanistan during the past year.
In a statement released Monday, UNICEF said that together with its partners it screened 11.8 million children for malnutrition across Afghanistan in 2025 as part of nationwide health and nutrition programs.
The UN agency added that it plans to provide health and nutrition services to around one million children suffering from acute malnutrition during the current year.
Despite these efforts, UN agencies estimate that more than three million children in Afghanistan are currently suffering from various forms of malnutrition, highlighting the scale of the humanitarian challenge facing the country.
Humanitarian organizations say the crisis is being driven by a combination of widespread poverty, recurring droughts, economic collapse, and limited access to healthcare and food supplies.
Children are among the most vulnerable, with aid groups warning that limited access to basic services, healthcare facilities, and nutritious food in many provinces is significantly increasing the risk of malnutrition and child mortality.
Aid agencies stress that continued international assistance and expanded nutrition programs will be critical to preventing further deterioration of the situation, as millions of Afghan families struggle to secure basic food supplies amid the country’s ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis.
