Pakistan's paper The Nation conducted a random survey of various city markets which revealed that shopkeepers and vendors were charging inflated rates for dry fruits. An increase in prices of 30 to 40 percent as compared to the rates of last year, was registered.
As there is no criterion to fix prices, since every market and super store has its own rate in various localities, the same items of the same quality are being sold with a difference of Rs300-Rs1,000 per kg in different stores in the same city.
The prices of peak winter dried fruits and nuts including almond, pine-nut and pistachio are skyrocketing.
This year, pine-nut is being sold in various city markets at Rs2,600 to Rs3,200 per kilogram, pistachio with and without shells at Rs1,400-1,800 per kg and Rs2200-2600, respectively and cashew nuts Rs1,400-2,400. The varieties of shelled almonds were available in the range of Rs1,200 to Rs1,450; walnuts with and without shells at Rs800 per kg and at Rs1,900-2,200 per kg respectively, dried dates at Rs200 to Rs600 per kg and peanuts at Rs200-350 per kg.
Last year, the items were sold at significantly lower rates. Almonds were sold between Rs800-1200 per kg, walnuts between Rs600 and 800 per kg, pistachios between Rs1000 and 1200 per kg, peanuts between Rs 200 and 300 per kg, cashew nuts between Rs800 and Rs900 per kg while pine nuts were sold between Rs1,100 and Rs1,300 per kg.
Traders at Akbari market, the wholesale market of the provincial capital, claimed that the raise in prices is due to heavy transport charges as well as the export of dried fruits.
However, another dried fruit vendor said that with the fall of temperature in the city demand for dry fruits had sharply increased and prices had also shot up due to the high demand.
