In Pakistan, fruit and vegetable prices have soared in markets as the devastating floods, precipitated by unprecedented monsoon rainfall, resulted in crops being washed away and supply chains being disrupted. Counting the cost of the extreme rainfall received throughout August that had killed more than 1 300 people, Pakistan’s 220 million people were already facing unrestrained inflation. This had already resulted in an 24,9% year-on-year increase in consumer prices.
Two of the most common ingredients in Pakistani cooking were tomatoes and onions, with tens of thousands of tons of each being consumed every month. “The supply of vegetables and fruit to Lahore is getting lower day by day because of the floods, rain and destruction to roads,” Malik Salim Awan, a supplier at Lahore’s fruit and vegetable market, told Reuters.
According to government officials, more than 809 000ha of agricultural land had been flooded, which had resulted in all standing crops being destroyed, while also preventing farmers from planting new crops.
Source: farmersweekly.co.za