LAHORE - With the end of Ramadan, the prices of vegetables, fruits and chicken decreased by 10 percent to 20 percent at the Sunday bazaars in the city. The prices of ginger, spinach, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, apples, peach, bananas and chicken decreased while the price of onions and green chillies increased.
It was the first Sunday bazaar after Eid, as last week no Sunday bazaar was set up. Consumers said the decline in prices showed that profiteers had earned abnormal profits during Ramadan and the government had failed to decrease the prices. They said floods had gripped the country and crops had been destroyed on a large scale, but even then prices were lower than Ramadan days.
“Ginger was priced at Rs 100 per kg throughout Ramadan, but now it has decreased. Same is the case with all other products,” said Shaban Manzoor, a housewife, adding that the government ought to crack down on profiteers and ensure that such a thing does not happen again. Another housewife, Zahida Mansoor, said fruit prices had remained high during the previous month, but had decreased now. “The prices of apples and bananas have decreased, and it is clear that profiteers minted money during the holy month,” she added. The prices of apples remained at more than Rs 100 per Kg and bananas were sold for Rs 50 to Rs 60 per dozen during Ramadan.
The price of chicken also fell and it was sold at Rs 175 per kg. In the whole month of Ramadan, it was sold for Rs 200 per kg in Ramadan bazaars, and for Rs 214 per kg in the open market. Chicken sellers said they did not determine chicken prices and it was the association’s duty to fix prices. “The poultry association is responsible for issuing prices – we merely follow them,” said a chicken seller, Kamran.