A record increase has been witnessed in the prices of frequently used vegetable items, including garlic, tomato, onion, potato green chillies, ginger etc, in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. An agricultural expert Enyatullah Baig told APP that the vegetable production areas had been adversely affected by the floods, while their transportation had also been affected, as many roads have been washed away.
He was of the view that constant increase in petrol and fuel prises is another main cause of a hike in the prices of fruits and vegetables in the city's markets. Due to these situations, prices of vegetables have increased considerably in local markets of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, while citizens and traders fear further rise in the rates.
A shopper observed that rates of other vegetables and fruits which used to be very cheap for lower or middle class to afford like cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, radish, spinach, oranges, guava and banana have gone up.