Supply shortage from Punjab and import disruption from Afghanistan push prices to record levels
A vendor places tomatoes in his cart. Basic kitchen items were sold in carts for Rs 400-450 and in supermarkets for Rs 550-580 due to shortage of supply in the market. Photo: Jalal Qureshi/Express
KARACHI:
Tomatoes have become more expensive than chicken in Karachi, with retail prices soaring to between Rs 450 and Rs 550 per kilogram, setting a new record in the city’s markets. In comparison, chicken meat is available at around Rs 450 per kg, making tomatoes a more expensive product.
According to the official price list, tomatoes should sell for Rs 280 per kilo, but neither retailers nor sellers at Sunday bachat bazaars adhere to the government rates. Traders claim that wholesale prices have increased significantly, preventing them from selling at the official price.
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Vegetable traders attribute the rise to limited supplies from Punjab due to floods and delay in Sindh’s local crop reaching the market. Currently, around 90 percent of Karachi’s demand is met by Iranian imports, while imports from Afghanistan remain suspended, further reducing supply and inflating prices.
Shoppers seeking relief at bachat bazaars were disappointed to find tomatoes selling well above the official price even there. A Gulshan-e-Iqbal seller said, “There is no official rate at the wholesale level. If we sell at Rs 280, we will face losses.”
Meanwhile, bazaar management claimed that stalls violating official rates were closed or fined, although citizens complained that no real relief was on the ground.
