Vegetable prices surge despite no flood impact | The Express Tribune
Key Takeaways
- Vegetable sellers in Karachi are implementing exorbitant price hikes, using recent floods as a pretext.
- Prices for staples like tomatoes, onions, and potatoes are two to three times higher than government-set rates.
- The price increases are unjustified as local agricultural areas in Sindh were reportedly unaffected by the floods.
- Despite ample supply from local harvests and Iranian imports, profiteering continues unabated, particularly for tomatoes.
- The city administration has failed to enforce official price limits, leading consumers to demand government intervention.
Karachi's vegetable markets are experiencing severe and unjustified price inflation, with sellers leveraging the recent floods as an excuse to raise rates exorbitantly. Key vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, and potatoes are being sold at two to three times the government-stipulated prices, exemplified by tomatoes jumping from 80 to over 300 rupees per kilogram in weeks. This price gouging is occurring despite reports indicating that Sindh's agricultural areas were not significantly damaged and that ample supply is available through local harvests and Iranian imports. Profiteers appear to have seized the flood narrative to inflate costs across both fresh produce and dry goods like spices, while the city administration has failed to enforce existing price controls. Consumers, struggling with inflation, are demanding that government officials personally inspect the markets to see the reality of the soaring costs, which contradict official claims of falling prices.
