KARACHI – In an unusual turn of events, tomatoes have become pricier than chicken meat in Karachi, with retail prices shooting up to between Rs450 and Rs550 per kilogram a record high that has left consumers stunned.
While chicken is currently being sold at around Rs450 per kg, tomatoes have overtaken it, turning a staple kitchen ingredient into a luxury item. According to the official price list, tomatoes should be available at Rs280 per kg, but most vendors and shopkeepers are openly defying the government’s rate list.
Retailers argue that the soaring wholesale prices have made it impossible for them to sell at the fixed rate. “We’re buying at higher prices ourselves. If we sell at Rs280, we’ll be forced to bear losses,” said a vegetable vendor at Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s Sunday Bachat Bazaar.
Traders blame the situation on a combination of factors including flood-hit farmlands in Punjab, a delayed Sindh harvest, and the suspension of tomato imports from Afghanistan. They say nearly 90 percent of Karachi’s current supply is coming from Iran, but even that has failed to meet the city’s massive demand.
Shoppers who turned to weekly bazaars for some relief were met with disappointment, as prices there were just as inflated. “There’s no real difference anymore whether it’s the bazaar or the neighborhood market, the rates are sky-high,” complained one frustrated customer.
Meanwhile, officials managing the Bachat Bazaars claim they are taking action against profiteering vendors, sealing stalls and issuing fines. However, citizens argue that the enforcement remains largely ineffective, as prices continue to climb with no visible sign of government control.
The ongoing surge has sparked growing concern among residents, who say that if such price hikes continue unchecked, even basic vegetables will soon be out of reach for the average household.
