Tomato prices across Pakistan have skyrocketed to historic highs, selling for between Rs. 400 and Rs. 500 per kilogram in Karachi, Lahore, and several other major cities. The sharp increase has made even basic meals unaffordable for many households.
The shortage began after a severe crop disease, the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus, devastated tomato farms in the Talash Valley of Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The virus, transmitted by whiteflies, has wiped out more than 350 acres of crops, cutting supplies to less than half of their usual volume.
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Adding to the crisis, heavy rains and floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh further damaged existing crops and delayed ripening. Tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have also disrupted tomato imports, with dozens of supply trucks stuck and produce spoiling before reaching markets.
Traders report that Lahore’s Badami Bagh Market, which typically receives 30 tomato trucks daily, is now receiving barely 15 to 20.
Meanwhile, Sindh’s fresh harvest from Thatta, Badin, and Mirpurkhas has been delayed due to standing water, though farmers expect supply to normalize within two weeks.
Experts believe prices will ease once Sindh’s new crop enters the market and border routes reopen, but consumers face at least a few more weeks of high costs.
