KARACHI, Sept 20: Retailers pushed up vegetables prices to a new peak, with some greens’ price crossing Rs100 per kg mark owing to thin arrival of greens in the wholesale market from the producing areas which were hit by rains and floods.

In many items, the retailers are openly charging more than double the price prevailing in the wholesale market at Super Highway. There is virtually no authority to check the profiteering by the vegetable dealers.

Apple gourd (tinda), ridge gourd (turrai) and bottle gourd (lokki), which were selling at Rs100, Rs80 and Rs60 per kg on September 14, are now available at Rs120, Rs120 and Rs80 per kg respectively. These items were easily available at Rs30-40 per kg before rains in Karachi and other parts of Sindh that started on September 6.

Surprisingly, the wholesale rate of these three items on Thursday stood Rs60, Rs55 and Rs25 per kg which indicates that the retailers are arbitrarily charging higher prices. Onion rate swelled to Rs50 per kg from Rs40 per kg owing to increase in wholesale rate to Rs35 from Rs27 per kg few days back. Ahead of rains, onion was selling at Rs30-35 per kg in retail markets. Cucumber retail rate reached to Rs120 per kg from Rs60 per kg on September 14. It was priced at Rs40 per kg prior to rains. The wholesale rate of cucumber increased to Rs60 from Rs50 per kg on September 18 and Rs40 per kg on September 14.

The retail price of cauliflower (phool gobhi) rose to Rs80 from Rs60 per kg while it was Rs40 per kg prior to September 6. Its wholesale rate on Thursday went up to Rs50 from Rs45 per kg. Its wholesale rate on September 14 was Rs40 per kg.

The retail price of cabbage (band gobhi) climbed to Rs50 from Rs40 per kg. Its wholesale rate is now tagged at Rs30 from Rs25 per kg.

Lady finger (bhindi) sells at Rs120 per kg as against its rate of Rs80-100 per kg on September 14. However, its wholesale rate rose to Rs70 per kg from Rs50 per kg few days back.

There is no change in price of potato and tomato selling at Rs20 and Rs50 per kg. One bunch of coriander (dhania) and mint leaves (podina) now costs Rs10 each while its wholesale rate is Rs3 only.

President Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market Haji Shahjehan said the arrival of trucks carrying vegetables from up country is still low to 300 vehicles per day as rains and floods had damaged various crops in Sindh and Punjab areas. In normal days, 500-600 trucks used to arrive in Karachi’s wholesale market.

He said that there were reports some trucks carrying Indian onions had arrived at Wagah Border from India to meet the requirement of Punjab, while people of Sindh and Karachi are consuming onion from Balochistan crop.

He said there was no change in wholesale rate of potato which is in oversupply situation and it is arriving from cold storages while tomato is also coming from Balochistan.