Monday 23 / September / 2024
Muscat: Vegetable prices at the Mawaleh Central Market have dropped between 30 to 40 per cent, according to sellers at the market.
“Prices have decreased in a huge manner, compared to last week,” Kabeer CV, a wholesale vegetable vendor at the Mawaleh market, told Times of Oman.
“The price of one carton (seven kilogrammes) of Jordan Tomatoes is OMR 1.500 today. Last week it was OMR2.5. Also last week, one carton (nine kilogrammes) of bitter gourds was OMR6.5, but now it is OMR 2.5. For one carton (8.5 kilogrammes) of ladyfingers it cost between OMR4 and 5, now it is OMR2.200,” Kabeer said.
One of the reasons he blamed for the decrease in prices is the slow pace of purchases, and also the large availability of vegetables in the market.
“There will be a drop in our sales in the first 10 days of Ramadan, and after that it will catch up,” Kabeer asserted.
“We are hoping that business will return to normal in the last 10 days of Ramadan,” Kabeer added.
He added that prices might fall even further in the next few days.
Yet according to a fruit seller at the Mawaleh market, prices have not fallen significantly.
“There is a slight difference in the price, but it is not a big one,” Shameer, a wholesale fruit seller, told Times of Oman.
“The demand for fruit has decreased, despite the price of the products being low,” he added.
“We were not seeing as many customers buying fruit as we expected,” he continued.
According to Shameer, the most in-demand fruit is the mango from Pakistan.
Meanwhile, W M Hashim, a wholesale dealer of watermelon in Muscat, said the price is already 180 baisas per kilogramme, and it might go up to 200 baisas in the coming days.
“Currently, watermelon is purchased mainly from Iran, and we need at least 500 tonnes for our daily needs,” Hashim said.
“One of the reasons for the increase in price is that we have to depend on Iranian watermelon when the season ends in Salalah. So demand for the Iranian product is on the rise, and they have to increase their deliveries,” he said.
Hashim noted that he sells four tonnes of watermelon daily.
Of note, consumer protection officers inspect the market on a daily basis, carrying out inspections in a bid to protect consumers, enforce proper commercial practices, and prevent exploitation and commercial fraud.
According to Ananth A V, director, Lulu Hypermarkets - Oman and India, the price of vegetables and fruits are stable now, and Lulu is reporting steady sales during this Ramadan.
“We are trying our best to ensure that there is no major hike in prices, and we are closely working with the ministry and consumer protection officials to offer the best price and quality goods to our customers,” Ananth said.
“We try to purchase directly from global markets and also offer different varieties at affordable prices,” he added.
He added that they have not faced a drop in their business.
“This is the time that we can expect a boost in the consumption of vegetables and fruits, so this will help us to see a growth in our business,” Ananth asserted.
