Tomato prices have jumped to Rs320 a kilogram (kg) under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, sending a shockwave to consumers with a massive jump from Rs160 per kg within a week.
“Only two consumers bought half a kg of tomato each out of 12 to 15 customers as most of them purchased 250 grams because of the high rates,” Dawn quoted a Karachi-based vendor as saying.
He reportedly blamed the hike on the soaring wholesale rate of tomato to Rs260-270/kg from Rs120-140 last Friday.
According to the report, the vendor was of the view that the arrival of tomato from Quetta and Swat had slowed down drastically because of the winter wave that has affected tomato crop.
The city government had quoted Saturday’s consumer price of Rs199 per kg for tomato which was Rs147 on Friday. However, neither tomato nor any other such items were available at official rates in the city.
Yet there is some stability in the prices of other vegetables such as capsicum, whose price dropped to Rs240 from Rs280-320 per kg of last week.
Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market New Sabzi Mandi President Haji Shahjehan said the arrival of Iranian tomato had also come to a halt followed by the slow arrival of Balochistan crop.
While disagreeing with Rs276-270 per kg wholesale rate at the mandi, he said vegetable dealers quoted very high wholesale rates to justify their retail price as tomato’s actual wholesale rate on Saturday was Rs220 per kg.
