Dry fruit prices hit a high note

They are a sight for sore eyes, the brightly lit carts on almost every street corner, with the chilly winter air carrying the pungent fragrance of toasted pine nuts and sweet smelling Rewaris, beckoning passersby.
One can find them oftentimes alongside tea sellers in small bazaars and market intersections, with people lingering nearby, enjoying tea with warm toasted peanuts just off the fire alongside dried figs, a scene that can be witnessed across most part of northern Pakistan during winters.
But as the winter finally starts to come in full force, prices of these seasonal commodities are bound to skyrocket, making all time favourites such as pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts quite out of the reach of the common man who has to make do with peanuts- which too shall become increasingly pricier as the season progresses.
According to traders selling in Lahores Akbari Mandi, demand for traditional favourites such as dried apricots, figs and pistachios is expected to skyrocket within the next few weeks as serious buyers remain undeterred from price hikes. Currently, traders report walnuts selling as high as Rs 500-600 per kg, while other dried nuts and fruits including dried apricots and pistachios have all shown price hikes of around 15-20 percent over last year.
Chilgozas (pine nuts) as usual remains the most expensive dry fruit this season, with prices ranging between Rs 2000-2500 per kg, the more expensive as one goes South. Traders report that this is true for all indigenously grown dry fruit as well as that which comes through from Afghanistan as sellers factor in the transport costs, which makes most seasonal dry fruit more expensive in Southern markets.
Overall, sources report that this season demand is likely to remain very strong as local buyers such as an increasingly large number of manufacturers of baked goods are going to make increased purchases of almonds, raisins, walnuts and other dried nuts and fruits used in the manufacturing of cakes and biscuits.
With the rapid spread of the large scale bakery-chain phenomena sweeping across the country, buyers such as Gourmet, Doce, Qasr-e-Shireen etc are going to be buying these sought after treats by the truck load, very likely driving up prices in the near future. On the whole however, traders report that prices this season are likely to fluctuate quite a bit, depending on how well the local production fares and how much is imported.
"Since there is a trend amongst people to buy most of their dry fruit in small batches from large specialty stores as well as street vendors who usually charge treble the rate they buy at, most people find that they can do nothing but complain as prices just keep on climbing as the season progresses" said Tahir Ali, a trader from Lahores main dry fruit market.
As a result, a lot of people end up paying much more than they would pay if they were buying wholesale," he added.