KARACHI: Wholesalers of ginger at Super Highway Sabzi Mandi decided to resume trading from Tuesday night after a lapse of five days, a decision that may help lower the commodity’s price which touched Rs400 per kg from Rs240 last week.

Ginger price came under pressure after wholesalers suspended its trading last Friday following confiscation of over 100 bags by the Karachi’s Market Committee. The government says the traders were selling acid-soaked ginger. But traders say they were using lemon salt (tatri) and blancher (rang kat) for cleaning.

Traders said they moved to court against the committee’s action but resume trading till the decision of the court.

Haji Shahjehan, the president of Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Market Super Highway, said traders have decided to start sale of imported ginger (unwashed) which arrives directly from the port, till the court’s decision. Retailers and hoarders are taking full advantage of the sharp drop in supply. The vegetable’s price on Tuesday soared to Rs360-400 per kg from Rs280-320 on Monday.

A handout of Sindh Information Department on Tuesday said Anwar Ali Gopang, the committee’s administrator, raided the Super Highway Sabzi Mandi on the instruction of provincial agriculture minister, and took away over 100 bags of chemical-soaked ginger. The committee raided the market after lodging of an FIR aimed at closing down the illegal activity of using acid.

The market committee revealed that some 40 water tanks had been constructed inside the wholesale market in which substandard ginger was dipped in poisonous chemical for increasing weight and giving fresh look to the vegetable.

The provincial minister ordered to destroy the water tanks immediately. Anwar Ali informed the minister that ginger was kept in water tanks filled with sulphuric acid for many days. The chemical is poisonous and can cause cancer and other diseases.

Sources said such actions against traders were taken in the past too, but the trading of acid-dipped ginger resumed after some time.

They said the government should also check the quality of ginger arriving at the port by conducting its lab check before it reaches markets.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2014