Vegetable prices fall on increased supply

Prices of most of the vegetables registered a decrease due to abundant supply during the week past as opposed to a week ago, a survey carried out by Business Recorder showed. The week proved good for common people, because fruit and vegetable prices declined. The prices of onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and chicken decreased by around Rs 5 to 15 per kg.
Onion was sold at Rs 100 per 5 kg at wholesale market, at Rs 25 per kg in retail market, against last week's Rs 30. Last week tomatoes were being sold at Rs 30-35, which are now at Rs 25 per kg; potatoes at Rs 20 per kg against last week's Rs 25. Similarly, prices of live chicken and chicken meat decreased by Rs 10 per kg and Rs 20 per kg respectively, cucumber decreased from Rs 35 per kg to Rs 25, carrot from Rs 20 to Rs 15 per kg. Okra and karela which was being sold at Rs 100 and Rs 70 per kg are now being sold at Rs 60 per kg and Rs 40 per kg.
However, beef, mutton, sugar, cooking oil/ghee, pulses, entire range of spices, wheat flour, rice, LPG and tea (packed and loose) remained unchanged during the week under review.
Traders at wholesale market (Ganj Mandi) told Business Recorder that with the arrival of summer season soft drink suppliers including Pepsi, Coca-Cola and other companies are all set to increase the prices of different sized soft drinks by Rs 2 to Rs 5 per bottle.
"A few months back prices of garlic, ginger, sugar, and onion had gone out of control, which were available at Rs 250, per kg, Rs 220 per kg, Rs 80-90 per kg and Rs 60 per kg, making it difficult for us to manage our household budget" said Naseema Ishfaq, a customer at fruit and vegetable market. She argued that the decrease in the prices of most of the vegetables and stable prices of sugar which a few months back reached Rs 120-130 per kg show that the government could control prices if and when it wanted to.
Most of the fruits including orange, strawberry, melon, guava registered increase. Oranges are being sold at Rs 250 per dozen, guava at Rs 70 per kg, melon at Rs 60 per kg, strawberry at Rs 200 per kg against the prices of corresponding week when orange was sold at Rs 150 per dozen, guava at Rs 50-60 per kg, strawberry at Rs 160 per kg, and melon at Rs 50 per kg.
Safeer Awan, a fruit and vegetable wholesale trader at Islamabad Fruit and Vegetable Market, said that Pakistan being an agricultural economy produces abundant vegetables and fruits but the middlemen were exploiting the market and creating artificial shortage for extorting money.
The vendors selling vegetables at fruit and vegetable market were also happy because of good sales owing to a decrease in vegetable prices. "High prices induce lower sales and my profit margin was squeezed, but now things are getting normal," said Waheed Asghar, a vegetable seller at Raja Bazaar (old Sabzi Mandi). He said that when prices of vegetables are high a few customers especially hotel owners purchase vegetables like onions, potatoes, ginger, garlic and tomatoes while others avoid purchasing these vegetables at high prices.
He said onion and garlic sales doubled as compared to previous weeks. "In the recent past, I used to sell 30 - 40 kg of onions per day, today I sold more than 60 kg," he added. Chicken prices also declined by Rs 10-20 per kg because of enhanced production in the poultry farms. "Chicken supply is high and demand is moderate, which reduced the prices and increased the sales," said Kamran Chughati, a chicken seller.