RAWALPINDI: Tomato and lemon prices surged to Rs110-120 per kg and RsG00 per kg in the retail marl(ets a day before Eidul Azha.
Though there was no shortage of the products in the twin cities, tomatoes were selling at Rs110 to Rs120 per kg while lemon was available at RsG00 per kg on Tuesday.
Tomatoes are used in very dish, especially meat dishes and people cook specialfood to celebrate the festival.
However, due to the high prices, people prefer to use curd in place of tomatoes during the Eid days.
Talking to Dawn, many people expressed resentment over the surge in the prices of tomatoes and some other vegetables and urgedthe government to ensure the availability of daily-use items at of ficial rates.
Mohammad Israr, a resident of Chal(lala Scheme, said he went to a grocery shop to buy tomatoes but the product was available at Rs120 per 1(g. He said he then decided to use curd in place of tomatoes.
He said on very Eidul Azha, the prices of tomatoes become expensive and the government paid no heed to rein in on the sellers.
Mohammad Ramazan, a resident of Arya Mohallah, said tomatoes would rotten in hot weather, but shopkeepers were trying to sell them at high prices. He said the high prices perturbed consumers as tomatoes were used in almost every dish made from meat.
Some shopkeepers confirmed the abnormal increase in tomato prices and blamed the high transportation charges as the major rea-son behind the price hil(e. They said that transporters and drivers of all heavy vehicles were charging high fares for transporting tomatoes from other parts of the country while there was no cheel( and balance from the district administration side.
‘Every year tomatoes become expensive during Eidul Azha, said Mohammad Akbar, a shopkeeper at Westridge Bazaar.
‘After the Eid, when the transport is back on the roads, prices of food items like tomatoes, lemon and green chilies decrease,’ he said.
Ramzan Khan, a shopkeeper at Bostan Khan Road, said that the requirement of tomatoes in Rawalpindi-Islamabad was being fulfilled from central Punjab.
When transporters are back on roads after the Eid vacations, fresh products would reach the marl(ets, he added.