Vegetable, fruit prices skyrocket

Rates per kilogramme rise by 20 to 100 per cent

BAHAWALPUR:

The prices of vegetables have risen exorbitantly ahead of the holy month of Ramazan, exceeding the purchasing power of the common man. Many of these vegetables are key ingredients in staple dishes, such as tomatoes and onions.

Media sources learned on Sunday that commission agents and traders at fruit and vegetable markets increased the prices of fresh produce by between 20 percent and 100 percent, putting them out of reach of the public, who are already reeling from unprecedented inflation.

Tomatoes, which were available at Rs100 per kilogram earlier this week, had suddenly jumped to Rs 200 per kilogram ahead of the holy month. Similarly onions, previously sold at between Rs120 and Rs150 per kilogram, were now being sold at Rs240 per kilogram.

Moreover, the price of potatoes rose from Rs40 per kilogram to Rs70 per kilogram, while garlic was now being sold at between Rs650 and Rs800 per kilograms. Shimla chilies are being sold at Rs500 per kilogram, lemons at between Rs100 to Rs200 per kilogram, maithi (fenugreek) at Rs80 per kilogram and cabbage at between Rs100 and Rs150 per kilogram.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2024.