PESHAWAR: A sharp increase has been witnessed in the price of vegetables in the provincial metropolis where traders blame the high rates on short supply to the wholesale market.

It was learnt that tomato price had been constantly high at Rs100 per kilogramme for past some days. Similarly, okra, which is usually available at Rs40 to Rs50 during the season, is available at Rs80, while the vendors said it was sold at Rs100 to Rs120 a couple of days ago.

Potato, which is commonly used by all and sundry, is sold at Rs70 while in the wholesale market its price is Rs60. vendors said price of vegetables had been increased by 20 per cent as the supply to wholesale market was very low.

“As the weather is very hot farm to market supply is very short,” Pervez Khan, a wholesaler, told Dawn on Monday. Another wholesaler, Fazal Rahim, said that supply of tomato was yet to start from Hangu, Parachinar and Dargai areas, and the existing stock had been imported from Afghanistan which caused price hike.

Consumers also complained that government was least bothered to keep a check on rates of vegetables. “We have a big family and cannot afford to purchase vegetables at such high price every day,” Naseem Khan, an elderly citizen of Hashtnagri said. He said potato and tomato were used almost by every citizen and the government should provide subsidy on these items to facilitate the poor people. He also expressed his reservations over high price of pulses, saying that agriculture land was fast shrinking and vegetable production had become very rare.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry former senior vice-president Ziaul Haq Sarhadi said increase in price of tomato was because its season had ended in Peshawar, otherwise the commodity was available very cheaply.

He said main reason behind the high price of vegetables was reduction in imports from neighbouring countries, and asked the government to boost imports to keep prices under check.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2016