Dubai: It's going to be a bit expensive even eating at home this Ramadan as prices of certain vegetables and herbs have doubled.

Garlic prices have doubled because of a shortage in China and the item is used extensively in various Arab and sub-continental foods during Ramadan.

Dealers said garlic prices have gone up from Dh3.50 to Dh8 per kilo. Indian onions have also shot up to Dh2 from Dh1 at the Fruits and Vegetable Market in Aweer.

"We have enough supply for now, but cannot say about the future," said Mohammad Ali, director of AAK Fruits, about a possible shortage of Indian onions.

Two cargo ships had collided early this week causing an oil spill from one of the ships across the Mumbai coast and closing down the port. But prices of most of the Indian vegetables are not likely to go up, dealers said.

There is also a hike in prices of between 10 to 15 per cent because of the huge demand for salad vegetables such as cucumbers. "There is very little production of local cucumbers because of the intense summer heat," said one dealer.

"Usually prices shoot up during the initial days of Ramadan," said James Verghese, consultant with Golden Fruits. Then the prices stablise, and again shoots up at the advent of Eid.

Fruits

The best-selling fruits during Ramadan are watermelons and muskmelons, oranges, apples and grapes, basically anything with a good water content.

"The strong euro and the Australian dollar have also made imports slightly expensive," said Khalil Ur-Rahman, from Fresh Fruits Company.

"But prices of strawberries, peaches and cherries have not gone up," he said.

There are no quality white grapes in the market because of the high freight charges from the US.

The dealer who has been in this market for the past 35 years said the eating trends of people have changed over the years. "People are eating more fresh vegetables, maybe because of growing health awareness," he said.

Dubai is also a huge re-export hub and fruits and vegetables are sent to neighbouring Gulf States and also Iraq.

People shop for fruits and vegetables after Iftar (the end of fast). But people could be seen driving into the Aweer Market well after 11.30pm.

The huge rush makes it difficult to get a parking spot.

It is also hectic during the early hours of morning from 4am at the market as wholesalers make deals and purchase their consignments for shipments outside the country.