Vegetable Prices Surge Amid Rain, Exports

Karachi, August 24, 2025, 10:02 PM PKT — Heavy rains and export activity have ignited a price explosion in Karachi’s vegetable markets, fueling nationwide food inflation fears, as per reports. Tomatoes now fetch Rs200 per kilogram, doubling from Rs100–150 days ago, onions hit Rs80 per kg from Rs50–60, and green onions skyrocket to Rs500–600 per kg from Rs300, while bottle gourd and apple gourd climb to Rs150 per kg from Rs80–100. Pulses follow suit, with wholesale Mash, Moong, Masoor, and Gram at Rs240–340 per kg, and retail prices soaring to Rs280–420.

Wheat and flour prices also surge post-March harvest, with the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for August 21 showing a 10kg wheat bag at Rs660 (up from Rs640) and fine flour at Rs95 per kg (from Rs93), while a 20kg flour bag jumps to Rs1,500–1,800 from Rs1,350–1,700. Nationwide averages echo this: 20kg flour at Rs1,480–1,800, 10kg at Rs709, and fine flour at Rs97.53 per kg. The weak harvest of 23 million tonnes (versus 27 million forecasted), with 3–4 million tonnes diverted to livestock and poultry, tightens supply, driving analysts’ warnings of escalating inflation. Web context on food prices shows past volatility, while posts found on X reflect frustration—some blame exports, others question policy. Critically, the narrative of “market adjustment” may mask supply failures—web data hints at poor planning, and X sentiment suggests distrust in price control, pointing to potential crisis.