Nationwide fruit boycott continues on second consecutive day

Karachi: The first day of the nationwide fruit boycott failed to bear fruit as in many places the purchase of the fruit continued as per routine while in other a minimal decrease in prices occurred.

The country-wide boycott of fruits started on Friday following a call on social media asking people to do so in order to bring down the soaring prices.

In Karachi, where the social media campaign started, there was a miniscule decrease in fruit prices following the boycott.

In the fruit market on Super Highway, mangoes crates cost decreased from Rs700 to Rs600, muskmelon price decrease from Rs500 to Rs100 and basket of bananas cost decreased from Rs3,600 to Rs3,000.

On the other hand, the cost of cantaloupe and watermelon remained unchanged.

Moreover, the whole sale dealers did not buy the fruit from Empress Market, Karachi.

“We will sell the leftover fruits from the day before,” said one of the traders.

A whole sale supplier, Aijaz, said that he sells about 150 maund mangoes in Karachi’s Empress Market, however, due to the boycott the traders refused to buy fruit from him.

Some fruit vendors also alleged that they have to pay ‘bhatta’ (extortion money) to police while passing the Ayub Goth check post. This leads to an additional increase in their costs.

In Lahore’s Badami Bagh, known as Punjab’s biggest fruit market, there was no effect on the market. The vendors continued to get the priced they asked for fruits.

The customers said that neither the deputy commissioner nor the price control committee’s employees ever come to the fruit market. The fruit vendors take advantage of this situation and ask for whatever price they feel like asking, said the customers.

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Till the authorities continue to neglect the people no change can come, they remarked.

On the other hand, the fruit markets in Peshawar bore a different look altogether as barely any customer showed up. The people said that they are adamant to bring the fruit prices down.

In Islamabad, many fruit vendors were seen selling fruits from the day before.

Moreover, many people continued to buy fruits while there were also people who boycotted the purchase. One of the customers remarked that the people reject the artificial increase in prices of fruits.