Lahore 28 August : Following the widespread floods that caused massive crop damage the cost of vegetables have skyrocketed in Lahore with tomatoes fetching up to Pak Rs 500 for a kilogram, according to the media.Shopkeepers have imposed arbitrary prices in the wake of disruptions to supply chains caused by flooding, Samaa TV reported.
Onion is available at Rs 300 per kilogram and lemons at Rs 400 per kilogram.
The cost of tomatoes is at least six times higher than the rate of the government of the price of Rs.80 per kilogram and the onion is offered at five times the government price of Rs 61 for a kilogram, Samaa TV reported.
The prices of garlic and ginger have also risen.
“Now the man who is poor is able to only look at tomatoes, but not purchase tomatoes,” a buyer told Samaa TV.
“Onion that was never sold for more than 100 dollars per kg it is now being priced at Rs 250, or 300 rupees,” he added.
The shopkeepers have blamed the shockingly price increases due to market forces claiming that they purchased vegetables at a high cost at wholesale markets.
While flash floods and rivers that overflow create destruction across Pakistan preliminary estimates show that the nation has suffered losses of $5.5 billion, Samaa TV reported.
In Sindh and Punjab provinces, cotton and sugarcane crops have been completely destroyed while tomato, onion, and Kharif chillies have been damaged.The destruction of the cotton crop is calculated as $2.6 billion.Experts believe that Pakistan’s textile and sugar exports could fall by $1 billion.
At at least 2 million tons of wheat stored in the warehouses of the government in Sindh are damaged because of floods and rains which are that could threaten the nation’s food security, Samaa TV reported.
The loss of production in the agricultural sector means that Pakistan will not just face an insufficient supply of industrial products but also a crisis in the seed industry in Pakistan.
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