KARACHI, Oct 6: Prices of vegetables have further gone up ahead of Ramazan with tomato being sold at Rs48 per kg on Monday as against Rs15-20 till Wednesday last.

Consumers are now bound to ponder before purchasing tomato whose retail price has registered an increase of Rs28-33 per kg in nearly a week. Tomato prices in September were recorded at Rs8-10 per kg.

The President of the Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market, Super Highway, Haji Shahjehan said that the wholesale prices of tomato in Subzimandi ranged between Rs35 and 40 per kg as compared to Rs30 on Saturday. The wholesale price ranged between Rs8 and 10 per kg some 15 days back.

He feared that tomato prices during the current month would remain under pressure as the new crop of Sindh would get under way from November. He linked the price flare up to the end of stocks of Balochistan crop as well as the destruction of tomato crop in the devastating rains during July and August in Sindh. Growers have again cultivated the new crop in the last week of August which would be reach the markets in November.

Potato prices have also marked an increase of Rs2 in retail markets. Retailers are demanding Rs10 per kg as compared to Rs8 per kg till October 1 despite the fact that there has been no increase in the wholesale prices which ranged between Rs3 and Rs3.50 per kg at the Subzimandi.

Haji Shahjehan told Dawn that there was no justification for the price hike as there was no shortage of the commodity in the wholesale markets. Rather, he added, it is surplus at the moment.

He pointed out that growers were suffering losses as potato stocks were getting perished at the cold storages of the country. He revealed that at least six to seven million bags (each containing three maunds) of potato were lying in cold storages.

Similarly, dealers who were charging Rs9 to 12 per kg for onion on October 1, have now fixed the rate of Rs12 per kg. Balochistan crop is now heading for an end while some supplies from Sindh’s new crop have started arriving in the markets.

Haji Shahjehan said that wholesale dealers had already conveyed the crop situation of various greens to the authorities of city government on Saturday in a pre-Ramazan meeting.

He said dealers had urged the government not to fix the price of perishable items (vegetables) during Ramazan as its prices were bound to fluctuate as per the demand and supply position. As soon as a crop’s supply situation improves, its rates tumble automatically.

As far as hoarding and stockpiling of vegetables is concerned, possibilities exist in onions and potatoes. Onion can be stocked for at least a month whereas potato can be put on hold for at least four to six months in cold storages. However, chances of hoarding tomato are slim as the commodity starts changing its colour and taste after three to four days.

He said that town Nazims could set up Bachat Bazaars in their jurisdiction. Vegetable wholesalers are ready to provide greens at cheaper rates to the area Nazims so that customers could get vegetables on reduced rates as compared to markets.

The upward trend in the prices of hot-selling vegetable items much before Ramazan is alarming and the city government should take cognizance of the situation. If effective measures are not taken at this stage, the prices would go beyond an affordable levels in the holy month.

Meanwhile, the CDGK has been holding a series of meetings with different stakeholders in the commodity markets. First of such meetings was held on October 4.

On Monday, Chairman of the Karachi Wholesale Grocers Group (KWGG), Anis Majeed, during a meeting with the city government officials, offered a reduction in the prices of gram pulse (dal channa), kabuli channa, black gram (kala channa) and basin by 25-40 per cent this Ramazan as compared to previous holy month.

The association has proposed the rates of dal channa No. 1 and 2 for this Ramazan at Rs21 and Rs19 per kg as compared to Rs31 and Rs29 per kg in Ramazan last year. The proposed price of Kabuli Channa special and Kabuli Channa No.1 is Rs36 and Rs28 per kg as compared to the previous Ramazan’s Rs38 and Rs30 per kg.

The rates of Kala channa No.1 and No.2 are proposed to be at Rs21 and Rs18 per kg as against Rs28 and Rs26 per kg; Basin No. 1 quality is Rs24 per kg as against Rs30 per kg last year.

Chairman and General Secretary of Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG), Sufi Mohammad Akram and Farid Qureishi have held out the assurance that maximum possible efforts would be made to contain and control the prices.

Chairman of the All Pakistan Shopkeepers Federation, Karachi, S. M. Tauqir said the federation would curtail the profit margin by 50 per cent in the holy month.

Representatives of the Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA) said that the association, after consultation, would come out with a relief package for the general public in two to three days and there would definitely be a remarkable cut in the price.

Price regulators urged the participants of the meeting to reduce the prices of essential commodities in order to provide maximum benefit to the general public.