Pakistan is currently enjoying its month of Ramadan. According to Muhammad Riaz of the export company Al Rafique, Ramadan usually causes a surge in demand for fruits and vegetables and this year is no different. “The demand for potatoes is good. The potatoes are already put in storage. The last season had a smaller volume and higher prices, but the quality is good.”
According to Riaz, the higher prices have urged most exporters to put fewer potatoes on the international market. Instead they choose to opt for the high demand in the Pakistani market. “During Ramadan, potatoes are used in a lot of traditional recipes, like curry, pakora or samosas. Most traders would rather supply the local market than export their volumes.”
As soon as the Ramadan is finished, the market will return to its usual conditions and traders will commence their export to foreign markets. As the season for potatoes started in January, there probably won’t be large volumes left in storage.
A similar scenario plays out for onions. Like potatoes, onions are used in lots of different recipes. However, according to Riaz the supply of onions for this season hasn’t been that good. “The quality is OK for the domestic market, but not so much for export. The reason for this has to do with issues that were caused due to varietal changes.”
Pakistan is one of the major potato suppliers in the world. For its potato production, it only imports seed potatoes from the Netherlands. Other imported products are garlic from China and Thailand. During Ramadan, the garlic consumption increases as well, but not as much as with onions and potatoes.
“In general, all demand for food items rises during this period. We also consume lots of mangoes and seasonal fruit like peaches and watermelons. Although exporters usually want to export, the surge in demand on the local market causes a dilemma, that affects the price of mangoes and other products.”
“For us, Ramadan is a period in which the body restores itself. Usually it shouldn’t be seen as a good idea to not eat food from sunrise to sunset, but people are aware of this. Being aware of your hunger allows your body to repair itself.”
