Pomegranate, pineapple and Mustang apple saw their prices shooting through the roof over the week, with prices going up by as much as Rs 95. [break]
Pomegranate, for instance, which was being sold for Rs 180 per kg until a week ago, is now available in the market for Rs 275 per kg.
Likewise, price of pineapple has jumped from Rs 40 per kg to Rs 60 per kg and Mustang apple which was sold for Rs 110 per kg a week ago touched Rs 130 per kg on Monday.
According to the Nepal Fruits Wholesalers Association, wholesale price of apple, pear, orange, banana, watermelon, sweet orange and guava, among others, have increased in the range of Rs 20 to Rs 30 per kg over the week.
Orange, for instance, was traded at Rs 60 per kg on Monday, up from Rs 45 per kg a week ago. Similarly, price of Mustang apple has increased by Rs 15 per kg to reach Rs 125 per kg.
Likewise, prices of off-season fruits like banana, watermelon and sweet melon have also gone up by Rs 10 to Rs 15 per kg compared to last week, said Narayan Dhital, president of NFWA. The association attributed the rise in the price to drop in supply from India - the major supplier.
According to Dhital of NFWA, Indian market is currently facing shortage of many varieties of fruits as majority of off-season fruits are not grown in the country.
“Since we depend on the Indian market for the supply of different varieties of fruits, supply crunch in the neighboring country triggers shortage in the Nepali market as well,” he added.
Arjun Prasad, a fruit wholesaler, informed that the market is currently receiving around 90 tons of fruits per day -- a deficit of around 60 tons.
He also said prices of these fruits may go up further as fruit prices are soaring in China as well -- another source country.
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