Fruit, vegetable prices remain inconsistent

Following the start of Ramazan, fruit and vegetable prices increased across Punjab. Although prices of some items declined after a few days, many were still being sold above the official rate list, raising questions about how government prices were fixed and the gap between wholesale and retail rates.

Under the official rate list, first-grade bananas were priced at Rs240 per dozen but sold for no less than Rs300. Guava had an official rate of Rs145 per kilogram, yet even second-grade guava was sold at Rs150. Kandhari pomegranate was fixed at Rs630 per kilogram but was available at around Rs700. Apples were officially priced at Rs420 per kilogram but sold above Rs450. Imported Thai ginger had an official rate of Rs280 per kilogram but was sold for up to Rs350.

Consumers claimed that when shopkeepers were warned about filing a complaint, they reduced prices. However, most buyers did not challenge vendors and ended up paying extra. Rana Aftab Ahmed, a resident of Wagah Town Lahore, conceded that enforcement by the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) improved implementation of official rate lists in several areas. "However, some shopkeepers and street vendors continued to charge higher prices," he noted.

Commenting on Punjab's legal and administrative mechanism for determining prices, Shehzad Cheema, District Officer of Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority (PAMRA) Lahore, revealed that prices were based on early morning wholesale auctions, where farmers and traders sold produce through open bidding, and the Market Committee calculated an average rate.

"Transportation and handling costs, wastage, commission and a retail profit margin were added to fix the official retail price, which was approved daily by the district administration. Retailers cited higher wholesale rates as an excuse, but supply could be ensured at official prices whether the purchase was 10 kilograms or 10 maunds," said Cheema.

Under the Punjab Price Control of Essential Commodities Act 2024, fruits and vegetables were classified as essential items, and authorities had to consider production costs, transport expenses, dealer margins and market conditions when fixing prices. In 2020, the Agriculture Department introduced the Lahore Grading Model, dividing key items into A, B and C grades by size and quality.

On the other hand, farmers' representatives believed growers did not receive fair returns. Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, President of the Farmers' Ittehad, claimed rising costs of seed, fertiliser, pesticides and diesel had increased production expenses, yet farmers often failed to recover their costs.

In support of Khokhar's assertion, a Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) study confirmed that farmers sometimes sold below cost, citing a case where a farmer discarded cauliflower because the price did not cover transport expenses. Traders maintained that prices depended on supply and demand. "Higher demand pushed prices up, while abundant supply lowered them," said Haji Muhammad Ramzan, Secretary General of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Traders Association Punjab.

Wasim Akhtar, a vegetable seller in Gulberg Lahore, felt that retailers added transport and other expenses to wholesale rates and kept limited profits, but consumers were unaware of how official rates were calculated. "We bought produce at high wholesale prices and could not sell at official rates if procurement costs were higher," said fruit seller Muhammad Idrees.

According to the PIDE study, middlemen played a key role but lacked designated spaces, and annual registration fees under PAMRA added to costs that ultimately affected consumers. In February 2026, the Punjab government introduced a revised mechanism, with a hotline and mobile app also launched to help citizens check official rates and file complaints against overcharging.