Tomato price hits record high at Rs400 a kilo in Karachi – Pakistan

KARACHI: The price of tomato reached a record in Karachi on Tuesday and reached Rs400 per kilogram of Rs300-320 per kg on Monday.

In the absence of any landing price for Iranian tomato, greedy traders also brought the price of the Swat and Sindh harvest on par with the rate of Iranian tomato for big profits.

But the local administration, like its previous practice, cited an unrealistic retail rate of Rs253 per kg compared to Rs193 per kg on Monday.

In the first week of November, the official retail rate of tomato was Rs117 per kg and the official price on Tuesday clearly indicated that the government itself was reviewing the upward price.

There are hardly any merchants that sell tomato at the control rate.

A representative of wholesalers asks citizens not to buy tomato to break the monopoly of some merchants

The merchants said that a box containing 13-14 kg of tomato was available at Rs4,200-4,500 depending on the quality, which forced many merchants to suspend purchases.

Last week, the government issued a permit to import 4,500 tons of tomato from Iran, but the arrival of red fruit had not yet accelerated in the market, which resulted in a persistent increase in tariffs in view of the increase in demand.

Of the 4,500 tons, only 989 tons had reached the country so far, a trader said, adding that he could not confirm if more quantities arrived at the Taftan border on Tuesday.

People are urged not to buy tomato for "two or three days"

Falahi Anjuman's wholesale vegetable market president, Haji Shahjehan, said two containers with 44 tons of tomatoes had arrived on Sunday, while only one container arrived on the market on Tuesday. This did not bring any relief for consumers. He added that the wholesale price had crossed Rs300 from Rs180-220 per kg on Monday.

He blamed the federal government for restricting importation to a few people instead of allowing a free import by any merchant. As a result, limited quantities have already been reserved and sold at the Taftan border. Previously, open imports had kept tomato prices stable, he said.

"Being president of the wholesale market, I can only urge customers to restrict their purchases for two or three days, as it can break the monopoly of some merchants and reduce tomato prices," he said.

He claimed that the Sindh harvest had started in limited quantities and that the price of a 10 kg wooden tomato box in Mirpurkhas was Rs 2,300.

Consumers pay Rs100 for only 250 grams or only four tomatoes. They said the government had not yet taken serious note when verifying the sale and landing price of Iranian tomato to curb the speculation of the merchants.

Published on Dawn, November 20, 2019