KARACHI: Just two weeks ahead of Ramazan, tomato prices have crashed due to a bumper crop leading to an oversupply, offering relief to consumers already burdened by high utility bills, while growers face severe losses from the price plunge.

On residential streets and at roadside stalls, sellers offer tomatoes at Rs100 for five kilograms, although many are not fully red, while others demand the same price for 2.5-3kg. The sale of vegetables on roadsides or in residential areas by pushcart dealers usually indicates an abundant supply, offering a business opportunity for many unemployed people.

However, some retailers continue to seek higher profit margins, selling red tomatoes at Rs30-50 per kg and rejecting the 5kg bags priced at Rs100, calling them substandard. These retailers also claim that the pushcart dealers may have sourced their tomatoes directly from growing areas, bypassing middlemen.

However, President of the Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market, Super Highway, Haji Shahjehan, disagrees with this perception.

He said........

© Dawn Business