Vegetable, fruit prices surge in Sunday bazaars

LAHORE: Increasing trend in the prices of all vegetables and fruits, unavailability of perishable items and overcharging of these commodities continued in weekly makeshift markets of the city.

In open markets too these perishable items were sold at higher rates in the absence of any price control authority.

The Punjab government made deputy commissioner of Lahore an OSD on failure to control dengue cases in the city while no action was taken against any DC on artificial price hike which is adversely affecting every segment of city. It seems controlling rates of perishable items is not the priority of the government and it has left the consumers at the mercy of profiteers and mafias.

This week further increase of around 20 per cent was witnessed in official rates of almost all perishable items. Likewise past many weeks, potato soft skin was not available in any shop in the city and makeshift markets.

But the price of this variety was issued in the price list to give plea to the sellers to sell store variety of potato at higher rates of potato soft skin rates.

The price of potato soft skin was unchanged at Rs 37 to 45 per kg, not available there, and potato sugar free at Rs 22 to 25 per kg, and potato store was fixed at Rs 16 to 18 per kg, while it sold at Rs 45 per kg as market committee issued this rate to it. This week official price of onion was reduced by Rs 6 per kg, fixed at Rs 52 to 55 per kg, mixed sold at Rs 55 per kg. The price of tomato was also declined by Rs 4 per kg, fixed at Rs 32 to 41 per kg, mixed sold at Rs 40 per kg. The price of lemon was reduced by Rs 25 kg, fixed at Rs 72 to 75 per kg, sold at Rs 100 per kg.