Vegetable prices skyrocketing

Rawalpindi :Greengrocers in Karachi and Quetta may have some justification in price hike of vegetables as supply there undoubtedly decreased due to heavy rains and floods. But elsewhere it was normal. Still the vegetable sellers of the twin cities pounced on the opportunity and in solidarity with their southern traders, immediately shot up prices of all vegetables, specially onions and tomatoes out of all proportions.

Onions and potatoes were available at Rs30, Rs35 a week or so ago. Other vegetables were also selling at reasonable prices. But lo and behold! There was an overnight jump in prices and onions touched Rs120-130 per kg while tomatoes were sold at Rs80-100 per kg and garlic shot up from Rs120 to200. There seems to be no authority to check the loot and plunder. A coterie of thugs who are past masters in the art of fleecing the poor Muslim brethren in the name of religion is behind this nefarious activity. This species makes tons of money during Ramazan, and also does not let any other religious festival go by without picking the pocket of the poor.

It is a pity that no solid or meaningful steps seem to have been taken by those who should have nabbed the hoarders and black marketers by the neck. Interestingly, the city district government after giving the impression that they were desperately hounding the hoarders, issued price list on Monday. The grocers were directed to sell onions and tomatoes at Rs100 and Rs60 per kg. What should one make of all this exercise?

Secretary Market Committee, Rawalpindi Nazar Hussain told 'The News' that onion was not coming from Hyderabad and Quetta. Onion was coming from Kabul and some trucks from India, he claimed. He also said that prices will come back to normal in a few days. He also admitted that some black sheep have hoarded onions and earned billions of rupees in a few days. 

The traders attributed the rising trend in the prices of vegetables to their short supply in the market. Special Price Magistrate Ahmed Hasan Ranja said that we are continuously monitoring profiteers and hoarders and forcing them to sell all food items according to prices list issued by Secretary Market Committee. We will never spare profiteers and hoarders at any cost, he assured. Talking to 'The News,' Muhammad Saleem, a dealer in the Sabzimandi said that tomatoes, onions, garlic and other vegetables were selling at unprecedented rates. He admitted that retailers were selling the product at higher prices after getting it at low prices. He also said that due to rains in the city, the tomato and onion crop was not ripe and the dealers were selling the available stocks. He said the prices would come down within a few days.

Another dealer Mukhtar Ahmed said there was a big gap between demand and supply and thus the prices of these items were increasing with each passing day. He said transportation and production charges had also increased in the country, adding the government was not giving any incentive to farmers and wholesalers. "I think, Pakistan is an only country where prices exceed Rs100 or Rs150 per kilogram without any reason but government machinery is not bothered," Muhammad Saeed Butt a common citizen said. Dr. Uzma Irfan a local said that prices of vegetables during past days have jumped up persistently without any check on the practice by the Rawalpindi district government. The price fluctuation is witnessed on daily basis and no action is being taken by the local administration. The prices of vegetables have jumped to alarming proportion during past days. Raja Muhammad Ayub a local said that government is not taking action on public-related issues. Consumer are upset that why prices of onion, garlic and tomato increasing from day to day, he denounced.