ISLAMABAD: The prices of tomato were touching the sky in Islamabad and Rawalpindi due to scarcity in the market and overcharging by the traders.
According to Market Committee rates tomatoes have the price tag of Rs 106/72 per kilogram, but it was also being sold at Rs 180 per kg in posh areas of the federal capital.
The overcharging by the vendors was also another factor for increase in price of this edible, which was showing the apathy of department concerned.
A vegetable trader at Aabpara Market told this scribe that the prices of tomato were high for last 10 to 15 days due to shortage in market.
It was being supplied from Sindh area now and also being imported from neighbouring country, India which was a reason for the increase in price, he added.
The prices of this main kitchen item, he said, would be decreased significantly in coming days after the start of production from Punjab area.
The change of the season was also a reason of price hike which has created a sudden shortage of supplies.
Usually, he furthered, the produce starts coming from Mirpurkhas and Badin in March, which was the ebbing season for Thatta and Lasbela crops.
Currently, tomatoes were being supplied from Larkana which has overstretched the wholesalers of the country.
Because of the short supply, even the traders were competing to grab the tomato crates, pushing its rates to around Rs2,000, while the same crates of around 18 kilograms were around Rs1,000 more than a week earlier.
However, the traders at the wholesale market said the prices were likely to fall sharply from the coming week due to the rapid ripening of the vegetable.
The usual tomato supply season was early summer from Sindh followed by some parts of Punjab.
After the end of May upto July, the main supply of tomatoes was from various parts of Punjab and KP, including Hazara, whereas the Balochistan crop comes in August.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Abdul Sattar Isani said that the ICT administration teams were regularly visiting various markets of the city to check the prices of edible.
The sudden raids were also made on shops selling the items against exorbitant prices on the complaints, he added.
The price control magistrate, he said, had been given strict instructions to ensure the selling of vegetables and fruits on the prescribed rates in the markets.
No Market Committee official was available for comments on the issue.
