LAHORE: As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, shopkeepers have increased the prices of green spices.
According to sources, shopkeepers are selling vegetables and other spices at reasonable prices instead of the official rates. Sources said that onions are being sold at Rs 80 to Rs 110 per kg in Lahore while tomato prices have reached Rs 100 to Rs 140 per kg.
Lemons have also become more expensive and are being sold at Rs 320 per kg. Garlic is being sold at Rs 250 to 300 per kg. In addition, green chilies are available at Rs 120 per kg and coriander at Rs 20 per kg.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said that in the same period of the financial year 2020-21, edible oil imports were 2. 2.47 billion. Thus, in the first 11 months of the last financial year, coking oil imports increased by 44 percent.
According to the statistics agency, the price of cooking oil per liter has reached Rs 550 per kg, which was around Rs 200 per liter in January 2019.
It should be noted that the SBP in its recent quarterly report said that Pakistan’s dependence on edible oil imports has been increasing for two decades. In 2020, 86 percent of the country’s edible oil requirement was met by imported oil. In 2000, the rate was 77 percent which shows that along with the population, the import of cooking oil is also increasing.
