Suspension Of Trade With Afghanistan Impacts Perishable Goods' Prices In Pakistan

Prices of fruits and vegetables have skyrocketed while prices of poultry witnessed a steep fall in Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces following the suspension of trade with Afghanistan.  The volatility in essential commodity prices is directly the result of demand and supply in the border region, said Abdul Basit, who heads the Poultry Wholesalers Association on Sunday.

The daily trade with Afghanistan involved export and import of essential perishable items like chicken, fruits and vegetables, Basit said.

“Poultry product prices are down as there is no export to Afghanistan now and there is surplus supply in the local market,” he added.

Live chicken is being sold at PKR 350-360 per kilogram compared to PKR 460-470 per kg in September.

Similarly, boneless meat is being sold for PKR 700-800 per kg compared to PKR 1,000-1,000 in September.

Meanwhile, as the traders are unable to import vegetables and fruits from Afghanistan, the prices have gone up.

“Pakistan imports vegetables like tomatoes, onions and fruits and a lot of dry fruit from Afghanistan via road trade, but with borders closed, prices have gone up,” Muhammad Fahad Iqbal, Vice Chairman of the Fruits and Vegetables Association, said.

Potatoes of different varieties are being sold at PKR 200-300 per kg in the market, while onions are being sold between PKR 400 to 250 per kg. Similarly, garlic is being sold at PKR 600 per kg and ginger at PKR 800.

“Recent floods hit a lot of local crops in the country, and in many areas, vegetable and fruit crops were wasted, so we have been relying heavily on Afghan imports,” a vegetable wholesaler said.  Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif claimed a few days back that after Afghanistan’s Taliban government told its traders to stop trade with Pakistan, that eventually if there is no trade with Afghanistan it will benefit the Pakistani people.