Vegetable, fruit prices skyrocket after flood
People gather around a fruits vendor in Bhakkar. As the ongoing floods continue to swamp farmlands, the country faces a serious food shortage. Photo: Express
The prices of vegetables and fruits supplied from the flood-affected areas are rapidly ascending due to a drastic decrease in their transportation.
The prices of fruits and vegetables supplied from Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, cabbage, peas, bitter gourd, apples, mangoes, grapes and peaches, have risen beyond the purchasing power of common people.
The mafia of profiteers is also taking advantage of the situation by causing an artificial price hike.
A local resident told The Express Tribune that the prices of food items had increased up to four-fold during the past fortnight amid the flood and rains ravaging vast areas of the country.
He said the people were already facing difficulties caused by high inflation before the natural calamity compounded their miseries.
The local vegetable and fruit markets have started facing shortage of commodities, while most of the items supplied from the flood-hit areas have become very expensive.
The vendors are also taking advantage of the situation by demanding exorbitant prices from the customers.
Sensing the situation, Sargodha Division Commissioner Maryam Khan has given strict instructions to price control magistrates to deal sternly with the profiteers.
She also instructed the district officers to visit the vegetable and fruit markets early in the morning, supervise the auction process and leave no stone unturned to ensure the supply of food to the citizens as per the official price lists.
Bhakkar DC Khurram Shehzad visited the markets across the city, reviewed the price lists, quality and availability of essential items and instructed the shopkeepers to ensure the availability of the commodities at official rates to the citizens. He warned that strict legal action would be taken against those who violate the instructions.
The DC instructed the shopkeepers to display the official rate list at prominent places so that the consumers were aware of the rates set by the government.
He said indiscriminate legal action would be taken against those who created artificial inflation and shortage of essential commodities.
The DC also urged the consumers not to pay more than the official rate for any item.He said the citizens could lodge a complaint in this regard immediately on the Price Punjab mobile app.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2022.