World | Pakistan
Food shortage and price rises follow flooding
Ramadan preparations hampered by crisis
- By Naveed Ahmad, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 August 12, 2010
- Image Credit: AP
- Flood affected Pakistanis use an alternative bridge to cross the Swat river since the original concrete bridge was washed away by heavy flooding in Kalam.
Islamabad: In line with their tradition of following the Saudi Islamic calendar, some parts of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa observed their first fast of Ramadan yesterday while the official moon sighting committee did not approve of the practice.
Traditional preparations and the hustle and bustle in bazaars and streets remain a thing of the past owing to the ongoing floods, which have affected the lives of more than 15 million people.
Shortage
"We are severely short of supplies of vegetables and fruit owing to heaving flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Kashmir and the Punjab," said Ashfaq Abbas, a wholesale supplier of farming commodities to Rawalpindi-Islamabad.
In a knee-jerk reaction to growing demand in Ramadan, prices of meat, lentils, wheat flour and sugar have also increased by 100 per cent in some cases while vegetables and fruits remain all-time expensive.
Rise in prices
"I am just coming from the market where tomatoes are sold at Rs150 (Dh6.44) per kilo and beef at Rs350 per kg, thus reflecting a 150 per cent increase in the cost of each item," Tehmas Khan, a government employee, told Gulf News.
Peshawar city wore a sober look at iftar time with no long queues of buyers at stalls selling samosas or fruit salad.
"Unlike last year, we are not expecting much business . . . it would be a month of sacrifice in many ways for the business community," said Mobasher Khan, who sells snacks on Rawalpindi's bustling College Road.
In major cities, special security measures are being taken in the wake of terrorist threats to places of worship and bazaars.
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