Vendors sell vegetables at a fruit and vegetable market in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on Sept. 11, 2017. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The prices of vegetables and fruits have skyrocketed by up to 200 percent across Pakistan due to the extended monsoon season, and the situation has become a hassle for common people in the country, according to local reports late Sunday.
Shakeel Abbasi, a salesperson in a superstore Madina Cash & Carry here, told Xinhua that the price of onion was 50 rupees (almost 50 U.S. cents) per kg one week ago but it is now being sold at the price of 150 rupees a kg, while onion prices in other cities including Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Multan lie within the range of 120 to 140 rupees per kg.
Meanwhile, prices of most used vegetables such as tomatoes, peas, green chilies, capsicums, beans and cauliflowers have surged tremendously by over 100 percent.
Local reports said that the price hike was due to the extended monsoon season which has affected the vegetable fields and fruit production across the country.
"Another cause of the surge in prices of some of the commodities is the slowdown of supply due to the recent week-long holidays by the truck drivers on the eve of Eid festival," said the salesman.
Local media reports quoted vegetable merchants and traders' associations as saying that the ongoing marriage season among Muslims is also another major reason in rising prices.
Munir Ahmad, a consumer in Bhara Kahu area of Islamabad, looked disappointed over the increase of prices, saying that the ordinary citizens can no longer buy these staple commodities.
"Onions and tomatoes are used in all the vegetable, curry and meats dishes made at our homes, but now we cannot buy them enough. If the situation remains the same, it will hurt our monthly budget," he added.
Local watchers said that the surge in prices of vegetables and fruits is artificial and it is created by producers and suppliers due to the rise in demands after the Eid festival when Muslims sacrificed animals and eat meat dishes.
They are confident that in a month's time, the crisis would be resolved and rates would return to normal.
