Lemon prices shoot up to Rs 1000-1100 per kg

ISLAMABAD: Lemon prices have shot up by more than 150 per cent over last one month to touch Rs 1000-1100 per kg due to increasing summer demand.

This citrus fruit used to improve taste of food items and as an ingredient for home-made remedies, was available in the retail market at Rs 200-300 per kg during April.

Due to the intensity of heat people use lemons to make lemonades to quench their thirst. However with the high lemon prices the citizens are deprived of one of the cheapest and healthier way to beat the summer heat.

 Prime lemon growing areas in Punjab (Sargodha, Sahiwal, Sialkot, Multan) and Sindh (Sukkur, Khairpur, Nawabshah) received scanty rainfall during the fruit bearing season this summer.

Heatwave conditions to prevail in most parts of the country: PMD

Bad weather has led to a forecast of low production. The dry spell in these areas has delayed and also minimised the harvest.

Farmers usually sell their produce to middlemen or contractors who supply the fruit to big cities. Hence the contractors are in a position to tip the market in their favour.

Hike in prices is due to drop in supply from major producing areas this year. Traders declare that quality of lemon is good but its supply is not enough.

Lemon is cultivated in Pakistan on a large scale and domestic needs are met by local production. Punjab produces 95 per cent of lemon due to its suitable climatic conditions but price is raised in every summer due to growing demand.