Tomato prices surge to Rs450-500 per kg despite imports from Iran

Tomato prices have surged to Rs450-500 per kg across Lahore, Karachi and other major cities, as limited imports from Iran fail to ease a persistent domestic supply shortage.

As per reports, retailers are charging the same rates for Iranian and Balochistan tomatoes, with prices ranging from Rs450 to Rs500 per kg, or Rs110-125 per 250 grams. Small, unripe tomatoes are being sold for around Rs400 per kg.

Traders said consumers had reduced purchases because Rs50-60 now buys only two or three small tomatoes.

Prices had already risen above Rs300 per kg earlier this month, compared with Rs120-160 in the third week of June and Rs80-100 in April.

According to traders, Iranian supplies averaged only 10 containers a day, while around 30% of the imported tomatoes were damaged by the time they reached Karachi. The tomatoes also softened more quickly and tasted different from produce grown in Sindh and Balochistan, making traders reluctant to stock them.

The market is currently relying mainly on supplies from Balochistan, which are insufficient to meet nationwide demand.

Tomato planting has begun in Sindh, with harvesting expected by mid-September. Sindh’s previous crop ended in April, while supplies from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab generally arrived during May and June but remained within those provinces to meet local demand.

Separately, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data showed that vegetable exports fell to 594,104 tonnes worth $163 million in FY2026 from 1.448 million tonnes valued at $367 million in FY2025.