- Shortage in supply persists as Pakistan relies on low-quality imports to meet demand
LAHORE: Tomato prices have skyrocketed to unprecedented figures over the past several weeks while large quantities of the fruit imported from Afghanistan and Iran have failed to keep its price in check.
Tomatoes are usually sold at a rate of Rs 30 to 40 per kg on normal days. However, the ongoing market rate is soaring high in the range of Rs 120 to 170, depending on quality, in spite of official rates being set between Rs 108 and 114 per kg on Sunday.
Most vegetable sellers in Shadman Sunday bazar commented that they did not bring tomatoes to the market because the officially-fixed rates were even lower than the wholesale rates.
“I cannot sell tomatoes at a price lower than its cost. Good quality tomatoes cost between Rs 20 and 30 per kg in the wholesale market. How can I sell them at the government-fixed price of Rs 114?” vegetable vendor Muhammad Ramzan questioned.
Another vendor blamed the government for not controlling rising tomato prices after Eidul Azha and for banning import from India when the local crop was not yet ready. He said that the vendors were completely blameless in this regard.
Meanwhile, citizens face difficulties due to the rise in prices of tomatoes. “No one would ever have imagined that tomatoes could be costlier than chicken. I purchase chicken and put yoghurt in it instead of tomatoes.”
Market Committee Inspector Riaz Bhatti has commented that Pakistan imported tomatoes from Afghanistan and Iran because the local crop was not yet ready. However, these imported tomatoes are of low quality and citizens do not like them, he added. Meanwhile, the import of tomatoes from India has been banned. The transportation cost and delays in trucks from Afghanistan and Iran cause artificial shortages, making tomato prices soar high, said the official.
The court has been moved relating to the ongoing situation of rising tomato prices. Judicial Activism Panel (JAP) Chairman Azhar Siddique filed a petition in Lahore High Court on Saturday, saying that it was both the government and the price control authority’s responsibility to ensure availability of food and vegetables to citizens at reasonable prices.
He said that the provincial government had badly failed to regulate the price mechanism and to check hoarding, which leads to excessive profiteering and is considered an act of exploitation according to the constitution. He requested the court to direct the government and concerned authorities to take action against the hoarders and profiteers involved in the sale of products at high prices.
