Afghan border closed, tomatoes cost Rs 600 per kg in Pakistan!

Due to the closure of the border with Afghanistan, the price of tomatoes has increased abnormally in the Pakistani market. In the retail market of Islamabad, tomatoes are being sold for Rs 600 per kg, which is about Tk 260 in Bangladeshi currency. The border closure has led to a shortage of tomatoes across the country as supplies from Afghanistan have been cut off.

Trade and traffic have been disrupted since the beginning of this month due to the closure of the Torkham border crossing in the northwest and Chaman border crossing in the southwest. Normally, when production in Pakistan decreases, tomatoes and other perishable products are imported from Afghanistan through this border. However, now due to the decrease in supply, the price has increased by more than 400 percent.

Shan Masih, a buyer at Islamabad's G-9 vegetable market, said that they are worried about the increase in the price of tomatoes needed for cooking. Seller Mohammad Imran said that tomatoes are now coming from Iran, Sindh and Quetta, but the supply is not fully met as demand remains the same.

Vegetable wholesaler Shapoor Khan said Pakistan used to import about 80 to 120 trucks of tomatoes from Afghanistan every day, but now only 10 to 15 trucks are coming from Iran and the rest from the domestic Swat region. Due to this, the supply has come down a lot.

The government is monitoring the situation and is trying to normalize prices soon by strengthening alternative supply routes. Islamabad Market Committee Chairman Sajid Abbasi said they are taking steps to control tomato prices and it is hoped that the market will stabilize soon.