KARACHI: While already struggling over high cost of living owing to soaring utility bills and food items prices, consumers are now faced with massive hike in vegetable prices due to demand and supply gap caused by the torrential rains in Sindh and Balochistan and destruction of road networks and damage to crops in the two provinces.

Incessant rains have continued to hit the provinces for almost nearly a month, thus, resulting in thin arrivals of vegetables in Karachi, which entirely depends on the supply of greens from upcountry fields.

Retailers said a sizable quantity of various vegetable varieties came from Balochistan and the impact of rain-related devastation was now being felt in Karachi.

A number of retailers said that they were not bringing cucumber, cabbage, capsicum, mint (podina), green coriander (hara dhania) and green chillies to the city due to soaring rates at the New Subzi Mandi on Superhighway, fearing that consumers would not be able to pay hefty prices.

As a result of the price hike, buyers have become selective in purchasing vegetables as per their requirement.

Big green chillies are now being sold at Rs 240 per kg after reaching a peak of Rs 400 two days back. Small green chillies prices came down to Rs 160-200 per kg from Rs 320.

One small bunch of mint is now tagged at Rs20-30 which was easily available for Rs10 a few days back. Small and large bunch of green coriander now sell at Rs30 and Rs60 as compared to Rs10 and Rs20 each.

Tomato price scaled to Rs 160 from Rs 100 per kg while two days back, the red fruit was selling at Rs 300 per kg.

Cabbage now costs Rs 200 as compared to Rs 120-150 per kg a week back while it hit the ceiling of Rs 400 per kg two days back. Bringle (Baingan) rates have increased to Rs150 from Rs80 per kg.

Cucumber is being sold for Rs 120 as compared to Rs200-240 per kg two days back while it was available at Rs80 per kg last week. Lady finger rate surged to Rs 320 from Rs200 per kg two days back while it was selling at Rs 150 per kg a week back.

During Eid holidays, consumers had paid Rs400 per kg for capsicum which later plunged to Rs200 per kg. After rising intensity in rains, the rate has again gone up to Rs320 per kg.

Onion price had soared to Rs90-100 per kg ahead of Eid, but it has now settled at Rs80 per kg.

After Eid, the price of ridge gourd (Turrai) and bottle gourd (Loki) had climbed to Rs200 per kg from Rs80-100 per kg prior to Eid. Now, they have fallen to Rs120 and Rs150 per kg, respectively.

The president of the Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market, Haji Shahjehan, said the arrival of onion and tomatoes for the last two days from Balochistan had been suspended, while rains in Sindh had also hampered supplies of greens from various areas of Sindh.

He said the demand for vegetables is not high in the rainy days due to skyrocketing prices, but the supply crunch from producing areas is putting extra pressure on the prices.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2022