KARACHI: Despite a steady decline in the prices of transport fuels such as diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), consumers continued to take costly rides, paying higher prices for essential edible items.
For example, the price of tomatoes has been hovering between Rs300 and Rs400 per kg for the last 10 days, while in the third week of June, tomatoes were selling at Rs120-160 per kg. The red fruit was priced Rs80-100 per kg a month back.
Onion rates rose by Rs20 per kg to Rs100-120 per kg from Rs80-100 per kg in the last one month. Potato rates, however, remained unchanged at Rs40-80 per kg over the last month, depending on size and quality, due to negligible exports to Afghanistan and Iran.
Younus Soomro, a tomato grower, said there is a shortage these days, as only Balochistan-grown crops are arriving and cannot meet the entire country’s demand.
Despite Rs90 drop in diesel and 37pc fall in LPG, tomatoes hit Rs400, flour Rs147 per kg, cooking oil gets costlier while pulses stay unchanged
In Sindh, planting is starting now, and crops may be harvested by mid-September. Due to security reasons, minor Iranian tomato varieties have started landing into Pakistan, Mr Soomro said.
President of Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market, New Sabzi Mandi Super Highway, Haji Shahjehan, said the Sindh tomato crop had already ended in April, while crops from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab usually arrive in May-June, remaining confined to these two provinces to meet demand.
Tomato prices may remain under pressure this month, but much will depend on the timing of Iranian tomato arrivals, he said.
In potato, suspension of shipments to Iran and Afghanistan has created a crisis for exports, as the commodity has been available at Rs25-30 per kg in the wholesale market for the last one month.
He claimed that onion exports to Dubai had resumed in small quantities. The Sindh onion crop has ended, while shipments from the Balochistan crop are coming to Karachi.
On unchanged prices despite falling LPG and diesel prices, he said prices further crept up during Muharram, while the wholesale market was also closed on Ashura day and supplies from the producing areas were slow.
Another reason for higher prices was the reluctance of transporters to lower their rates after diesel and LPG prices fell. The rest of the damage was done by the retailers, who always charge consumers much more than the wholesale prices.
As per data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), total vegetable exports during 11MFY26 drastically fell to 550,913 tonnes ($152m) from 1.4m tonnes ($353m) in the same period last fiscal. Potatoes and onions account for the bulk of total vegetable exports.
LPG prices have plunged to Rs300 per kg from a peak of Rs480, while its price ahead of the Middle East crisis was Rs260-280. Diesel prices were Rs399 per litre on May 1 as compared to the current rate of Rs309.50.
Wheat flour
As per weekly data of Sensitive Price Index (SPI) ending July 2, the 20 kg wheat flour bag further crawled up to Rs2,750-2,900 from Rs2,500-2,800 on June 18, while 10kg wheat bag and fine flour prices surged to Rs1,200 and Rs153.11 from Rs1,060 and Rs147 per kg, respectively, in the above period.
In the first week of March, the 20 kg flour bag, 10 kg wheat, and 1 kg fine flour were available at Rs2,200-2,500, Rs990, and Rs136, respectively.
Unfortunately, people in Karachi have been paying the highest prices for wheat flour compared to other cities.
All administrative measures taken by the Sindh government to curb prices and wheat hoarding have failed to yield any results, as consumers are still paying high prices for the main staple food.
There was also no notable decline in the prices of various pulses after falling rates of diesel and LPG. The rates of Masoor, Moong, Mash and Gram Pulse from the Middle East war till date have remained unchanged at Rs220-300, Rs350-400, Rs410-500 and Rs220-280 per kg.
There is a slight increase in the rates of five-litre cooking oil, 2.5 kg ghee and one-litre cooking pouch to Rs3,045-3,065, Rs1,565 and Rs610 from pre-war prices of Rs2,970, Rs1,515 and Rs590, respectively.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026