Shortage of supplies from Punjab and halted imports from Afghanistan push rates to record highs
A vendor arranges tomatoes on his cart. The main thing in the kitchen was to sell on stretch carts for Rs 400-450 and in supermarkets for Rs 550-580. due to lack of supply on the market. Photo: Jalal Qureshi/Express
KARACHI:
Tomatoes have become more expensive than chicken in Karachi, with retail prices rising to between Rs450 and Rs550 per kilogram, setting a new record in the city’s markets. In comparison, chicken meat is available at around Rs 450 per kg, making tomatoes more expensive.
According to the official price list, tomatoes are to be sold at Rs280 per kg, but neither dealers nor sellers in Sunday bachat bazaars comply with the government’s rates. Shopkeepers claim that wholesale prices have risen sharply, making them unable to sell at the official rate.
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Vegetable traders attribute the increase to limited supplies from Punjab due to floods and a delay in Sindh’s local crop reaching the market. Currently, around 90 percent of Karachi’s demand is met through Iranian imports, while imports from Afghanistan remain suspended – further tightening supply and inflating prices.
Shoppers seeking relief in bachat bazaars were disappointed to find tomatoes selling far above the official price even there. A stall keeper in Gulshan-e-Iqbal said, “There is no official rate enforced at the wholesale level. If we sell at Rs 280, we will face losses.”
Meanwhile, the bazaar management claimed that stalls found violating the official rates were sealed or fined, even as citizens complained that there was no real relief to be seen on the ground.
