RAWALPINDI: Tomato and lemon prices surged to Rs110-120 per kg and Rs600 per kg in the retail markets a day before Eidul Azha.

Though there was no shortage of the products in the twin cities, tomatoes were selling at Rs110 to Rs120 per kg while lemon was available at Rs600 per kg on Tuesday.

Tomatoes are used in very dish, especially meat dishes and people cook special food to celebrate the festival.

However, due to the high prices, people prefer to use curd in place of tomatoes during the Eid days.

Talking to Dawn, many people expressed resentment over the surge in the prices of tomatoes and some other vegetables and urged the government to ensure the availability of daily-use items at official rates.

Mohammad Israr, a resident of Chaklala Scheme, said he went to a grocery shop to buy tomatoes but the product was available at Rs120 per kg. He said he then decided to use curd in place of tomatoes.

He said on very Eidul Azha, the prices of tomatoes become expensive and the government paid no heed to rein in on the sellers.

Mohammad Ramazan, a resident of Arya Mohallah, said tomatoes would rotten in hot weather, but shopkeepers were trying to sell them at high prices. He said the high prices perturbed consumers as tomatoes were used in almost every dish made from meat.

Some shopkeepers confirmed the abnormal increase in tomato prices and blamed the high transportation charges as the major reason behind the price hike. They said that transporters and drivers of all heavy vehicles were charging high fares for transporting tomatoes from other parts of the country while there was no check and balance from the district administration side.

“Every year tomatoes become expensive during Eidul Azha,” said Mohammad Akbar, a shopkeeper at Westridge Bazaar. “After the Eid, when the transport is back on the roads, prices of food items like tomatoes, lemon and green chilies decrease,” he said.

Ramzan Khan, a shopkeeper at Bostan Khan Road, said that the requirement of tomatoes in Rawalpindi-Islamabad was being fulfilled from central Punjab. When transporters are back on roads after the Eid vacations, fresh products would reach the markets, he added.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2026