Fruit sales plunge as boycott campaign digs in

Social media played key role in making the boycott a success

RAWALPINDI:

With a successful boycott campaign against ‘ridiculously inflated’ fruit prices, the residents of the twin cities have managed to bring profiteers and hoarders to their knees and reduce the prices of various fruits by 100 per cent.

Hit hard by the skyrocketing inflation, the public extended support to the ‘Fruit Boycott’ call that first appeared on social media and urged people not to purchase fruits as a protest against the exorbitant prices of the commodities during the holy month of Ramazan.

On Friday, the prices of bananas, watermelons, strawberries, apples, guavas, and oranges recorded a sharp downward trend.

The citizens breathed a sigh of relief and urged others to follow their lead and continue the boycott.

At the beginning of the fasting month, melons were being sold at Rs250 per kg in the twin cities, while following the boycott drive, their prices tumbled to Rs120 and Rs150 per kg.

Earlier, the Sindhi watermelon was being sold at Rs150 per kg, however, after the boycott, the price of watermelon has reduced to Rs50 per kg.

According to sources privy to the development, these prices are likely to decline further.

At the onset of the holy month, the best quality bananas were being sold at Rs500 per dozen.

After the boycott, they are being sold at Rs250 to Rs200 per dozen.

Similarly, the price of watermelon has been brought from Rs200 to Rs80 per kg.

The prices of various types of apples have fallen from Rs450 to Rs200.

Meanwhile, strawberries were being sold at Rs350 per kg before the campaign.

Now they are being sold at Rs150 per kg.

The price of guava has also been brought down to Rs250 from Rs350 per kg.

In the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the price of a kg of oranges was jacked up to Rs450 per kg with the onset of the spring.

Now, fruit sellers have been compelled to fix the new price of oranges at Rs300 per dozen.

Commenting on the significant reduction in the prices of fruits due to the boycott, a customer named Tabsum Bibi said that she lives near Stadium Road and buys fruits from a relatively cheap makeshift bazaar near the Allama Iqbal Park.

According to the Price Control Committee officials, the most positive impact of the citizens' boycott has been on fruit prices.

He said that the prices are still higher than the purchasing power of the citizens, but if the citizens of the twin cities continue such a boycott, the prices may decrease further, which will benefit the trader less and the buyer more.