LATELY there has been a sharp increase in the prices of vegetables across Karachi. The Karachi commissioner and the price control department look helpless about this. It looks traders are more powerful and can charge consumers any price and no one can stop or punish them.

Only recently the official price of onion was Rs 20 to 22 a kg, but has now increased to Rs45 to 47 a kg. Interestingly, during this period no shortage of onion was recorded anywhere in the country.

Similarly tomato prices increased just before Eidul Azha to mint money by exploiting consumers as no shortage or loss of this commodity was reported.

I must say Pakistan is a haven for traders who make good profits while no rules apply to ensure official prices, If price lists are available to the sellers, these are merely for display while the government is not interested in taking action against the black sheep and control the prices of onion and tomato.

If the price control committee or the commissioner had succeeded in controlling the prices of vegetables like onion and tomato, the middle class and the salariat would have benefited instead of the greedy traders.

Ashfaq Sharif

Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2017