Prices of dry fruits go up as winter sets in

With the onset of winter, the prices of all types of dry fruits have increased in the open market, rendering them unaffordable for the public.

Furthermore, another 50 per cent increase in prices is possible next month. This situation has led to the prices of dry fruits reaching an all-time high in the country's history. Additionally, the wholesale dry fruit market has started selling and supplying dry fruits.

Moreover, after the sunset, street vendors have also begun selling dry fruits, including groundnuts and roasted black gram.

This year, in the open market, groundnut is being sold between Rs750 to Rs900 per kg, black roasted chickpeas Rs750 per kg, normal hard walnuts Rs800 per kg, paper walnuts Rs1200 per kg, chilgoza Rs12,000 per kg, the giri of chilgoza Rs14,000 per kg, Desi Meva Rs1200 per kg, Afghan meva Rs1500 per kg, Iranian almonds Rs3500, Afghan almonds Rs3200 per kg, dried apricots Rs1400 per kg, brown figs Rs3,000 per kg, white fig Rs3,500 per kg, plain cashews Rs3,000 per kg, roasted cashews Rs3,300 per kg, Makhana Rs600 per kg, Chohara Rs900 per kg, Munakka Rs800 per kg, Aloo Bukhara Rs900 per kg, Revri Rs700 per kg, jaggery mix, roasted chickpeas, Rs700 per kg, jaggery mix roasted till patti Rs650 kg and jaggery mix roasted peanuts Rs950 kg.

Dry Fruit Union Vice President Farhad Khan said that new stocks of dry fruits will be more expensive this year. Currently, these are the prices for the existing stock, but there is a potential for a 70 to 100 per cent increase in prices in the upcoming days.

With the onset of cold weather, wholesale purchases of dry fruits have started to pick up. The dry fruit season will continue for the next four months. However, citizens Faheem Niaz and Sharjeel Waqas expressed their concerns over the rising costs of living, making it increasingly challenging to make ends meet.

The issue with expensive dry fruits primarily affects the middle class, as ordinary citizens typically use groundnuts or roasted black gram during the winter. With additional input from APP

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2023.