LAHORE: In response to rising tomato prices in Punjab, the Price Control Department has directed all market committee secretaries to hold emergency meetings with commission agents and take steps to increase supply.
District administrations and market committees have also been directed to carry out joint monitoring, with strict orders issued to take action against hoarding and profiteering. The department has sent these directives based on the recommendations of the department’s flood emergency supply chain management cell, regarding tomato supply and pricing. The main reason for the surge in tomato prices in the general market has been identified as limited supply from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Afghanistan.
According to the spokesperson of Punjab Price Control, all market committee secretaries have been instructed to hold emergency meetings with commission agents and take steps to increase supply. District administrations and market committees have also been directed to carry out joint monitoring, with strict orders issued to take action against hoarding and profiteering. The timely clearance of tomato trucks arriving from Afghanistan via Torkham and Chaman borders is to be ensured.
Authorities have been instructed to stay in contact with suppliers and transporters to avoid any delays in delivery. The cell established at the headquarters of the Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority (PAMRA) has been instructed to receive continuous updates, and market committee secretaries are required to submit daily reports on supply and pricing conditions.
Meanwhile, on flour front, a province-wide crackdown against profiteering is actively under way by the department and during the last 24 hours as many as 522,293 locations were inspected across Punjab.
According to the spokesperson for the Price Control Department, a total of 12,119 profiteers were fined during these inspections; 106 individuals were arrested, and legal cases were registered against 7. In the category of flour, 1,599 people were fined for selling the commodity at inflated rates, while 20 individuals were taken into custody. During checks on chicken and meat shops, 1,023 individuals were fined and 19 were arrested. When it came to overpricing of Roti, 549 people were fined, 17 were arrested, and cases were registered against 7 of them. Furthermore, 682 individuals were fined and 7 arrested for selling sugar at higher-than-approved prices.
The spokesperson stated that the zero-tolerance policy against profiteering and hoarding is being strictly implemented. Every effort is being made to ensure that essential commodities are sold strictly at the rates fixed by the government.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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