Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: Commodity rates rise

The prices of essential commodities recorded an increase of about five to twenty-two percent over the last two months while Indian fruits and vegetables that continued to flood local markets are selling for even higher prices in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Lured by high profits, the fruits and vegetable sellers are putting on sale the Indian fruits and vegetables, particularly in city district of Peshawar that affected the prices of local commodities. Truckloads of tomatoes, onion and other commodities sourced from various Indian cities are entering the country through Attari-Wagah border daily, the local traders said. The Indian bananas of best quality are selling for Rs180 per dozen while the local bananas are selling forRs60-Rs100 per dozen in the province. Chinese apples are selling for Rs180-Rs200, Afghani apples fetch Rs160-Rs180 while those from Quetta and Swat are being sold at Rs800-Rs100. A fruit seller, Gul Muhammad, said that his customers opt for these varieties for their quality. A vegetables seller, Shah Saud, said the prices of Indian tomatoes shot up to Rs80 from Rs40 when supplies stopped for few days two weeks ago. The Bureau of Statistics Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the first time collected prices of 47 essential items from all 25 districts of the province on monthly basis and consolidated the same on the basis of item-to-item analysis. According to the Bureau of Statistics monthly report the prices of 35 items registered an increase while that of the seven items showed a downward trend and some five items, including the labour wages remained unchanged during the last two months. The prices of eight items such as gram pulse, sugar, ghee, rice and maize increased in many districts. The rates of potatoes, chickens, eggs, onion and tomatos recorded a decrease in the province, while that of the matchbox, salt, cigarettes, and unskilled labour remained unchanged during the period.