ISLAMABAD: Because the wholesale fruit and vegetable market will be closed for Eid days the retailers have created a perception ofshortages andincreased the prices of certain items.

A notable fluctuation was witnessed in the prices of tomatoes during the last three days as it is among the most soughtafter farm produce, especially during Eidul Azha.

`Tomatoes are needed at the table from eating raw in salads to be part of meat roasting items and other cooking dishes, said Fatima Zehra, a housewife, as she bought two kilogrammes of tomatoes in Aabpara.

However, she did express the apprehensions that Rs90 per kg was high but was seemingly satisfied when she was told that there was a severe shortage of tomatoes coming up as there would be no supply in the coming days.

Similarly, the retailers managed to convince the customers that Rs80 per kg was the best bargain even in the middle class localities of Rawalpindi, including Pindora and Shamsabad.`There is no onion and tomato in the country at present and both items are coming from Kabul,` said one pushcart seller on Stadium Road, Rawalpindi.

On the other hand, the price of one kg tomato at the CDA H-9 weekly bazaar was Rs60 that was not only significantly lower than the market rate but also compared to the weekly bazaar held just two days ago.

One kilogramme tomatoes were sold at Rs86 in H-9 bazaar on Sunday and the sellers were telling the same story to the buyers that all the supply would stop from Monday and the same item would breach the Rs100 mark by Tuesday.

Meanwhile, even some officials criticised the retailers for the price manipulation ahead of the religious occasion.

`This way they create an environment of panic buying, and eventually the benefit out of it,` an official at the H-9 weekly bazaar said. `But to keep the lid on rising trend we made a special arrangement on Monday night and successfully kept the price at Rs60 per kg.

An official of the marl(et department was sent at midnight to the wholesale fruit and vegetable market where the average auction rate for tomatoes came out to be around Rs55 per kg so the price at Tuesday bazaar was fixed at Rs60 per kg.

Meanwhile, traders at the whole sale market said there was a slight supply shortage due to the protests on Sunday and Monday in Fata and parts of KP against the US but trucks started to arrive after midnight between Monday andTuesday leading to the decline in rates.

`There was some shortage but later the Kabuli produce was at Rs600 per crate of 15kg and the Quetta stock came down to Rs800 from Rs1,100 per crate of 15 kg, said Rizwan Farooq, a trader at the wholesale market.

According to these rates, one kilogramme tomato comes to be between Rs40 and 54. He also expressed the confi-dence that there was no reason for tomato prices to move upwards from its existing level.

`They should actually come down to Rs60 and Rs70 at the retail end but it also depends on other issues too,` he added.

Mr Farooq said there was no short supply as the wholesale market should be closed from Friday to Sunday and limited supply would resume from Monday.