This was revealed in a survey carried out by Business Recorder. The wholesalers said that the reason for high cost of vegetables and fruits was the overall inflation pressure in the country, including high price of diesel.

However, some market sources claimed that middlemen, who operate in the wholesale market and try to purchase crops directly from farmers, were manipulating the market. The prices of other commodities such as pulse and masoor have declined due to entry of fresh crops in market.

Ghee prices have also declined and the market attributes it to law and order situation as well as lower demand possibly due to shrinking value of each rupee earned. Market sources further added that due to unprecedented dry spell farm produce had been negatively affected. As a result, the price of fruits and vegetables continued to inch upwards. Traders at the wholesale fruits and vegetable market maintained the short supply of fruits and vegetables due to lack of rain was continuing.

The wholesale market price of cauliflower at the end of last month was around Rs 14 per kilogram, which increased to Rs 28 per kilogram by the last week of October placing a heavy burden on the poor segments of the society. Market sources said that like other vegetables the price of carrots had increased many-fold compared to the previous year as its prices in the wholesale market was between Rs 27 and Rs 30 per kilogram.

The basic rationale is that the cost of production has gone up significantly and the average fare of each 40 kilogram sack of carrots from Balochistan is Rs 120, sources argued. Market sources said that fresh carrots from Attock region were expected in the Punjab by the mid of next month, which is expected to ease the pressure on prices.

Customers have expressed concern over low quality of carrots, radish, turnip, beet roots and other winter vegetables. The tomato prices continued to remain at the high level of Rs 30 and Rs 40 per kilogram in the retail market.

Traders said that they expected fresh tomato crop from Sindh, NWFP and even parts of Punjab in coming weeks that would result in decline in its price. Potato prices witnessed an increase of Rs 3 per kilogram to Rs 30 per kilogram during the week, while onion prices went slightly upwards, by Rs 3 to around Rs 28 per kilogram.