PESHAWAR: After the rise in the prices of flour and sugar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), prices of fruits, vegetables and other general food items have recorded a significant increase in the province.
A general survey of price levels revealed that prices of vegetables and fruits have increased by 20 to 30 per cent in Peshawar during the last three days. Prices of tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, garlic and other vegetables surged by 30 per cent compared to price levels recorded three days earlier.
Fazal Maula, a vegetable seller based in Peshawar while talking to Profit said that vegetables are being supplied to vegetable sellers at higher prices, hence the vegetable sellers are left with no option other than to charge higher prices to the end consumer.
He added that prices of items such as garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, coriander and green chillies, which are specifically used on Eid-ul-Azha, are expected to rise in the coming days.
During the the last two days the price of tomatoes in the province has increased from Rs40 per kilogramme (kg) to Rs70 per kg, price of onions increased from Rs30 to Rs60 per kg, price of ginger increased from Rs200 to Rs440 per kg, price of garlic increased from Rs250 to Rs350 per kg and price of green chillies increased from Rs80 to Rs150 per kg.
Similarly, the price of mangoes increased from Rs100 to Rs250 per kg, price of apples increased from Rs120 to Rs180 per kg, price of peaches increased from Rs150 to Rs250 per kg.
Currently, in KP a 20kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs1,200 despite the official price set at Rs860.
Moreover, over the last week, the price of sugar in the province has increased by Rs10 per kg to Rs100 per kg while the price of cooking oil and ghee has been increased by Rs5 to Rs8 per kg.
Citizens of Peshawar while talking to Profit blamed the surge in prices of food items on the “incompetence” of the district administration.
“While millions of daily laborers have lost their jobs due to coronavirus pandemic, the district administration has completely failed to control inflation that has had a negative impact on the masses,” said Anwar Zaib, a citizen of Peshawar.
