This is because the market has not got too many customers of late, in view of the Eid holidays, and the salesmen are keen to clear their stocks even at low prices.
Many customers also feel that the stocks are not too fresh and this is forcing the sellers to dispose of them at reduced prices, it is reported.
Compared to rates prevalent during the holy month of Ramadan, the prices of many varieties have fallen sharply, the report notes. For instance, a 6-7kg box of tomatoes is being sold for QR10, a similar quantity of eggplants for around QR20, a sack of cucumbers for QR15-20, and around 8kg of carrots for QR26.
For fruits, a 13kg carton of bananas is available for around QR40, 15kg of oranges for QR33 and 5kg of mangoes for QR40.
Residents have attributed the drop in prices to factors such as a low turnout of customers, as many families are spending the summer holidays outside the country, as well as the high temperature, which makes some products go bad quickly and as such the traders are eager to dispose of quickly.
Meanwhile, sections of the Central Market which were closed after a blaze at the Kilo Market destroyed several shops have been reopened. But several tonnes of 'contaminated’fruits and vegetables stored at the market were destroyed by authorities to prevent them from reaching the consumers.
The produce ‘contaminated’ by the blaze was collected in an open ground and ministry staff crushed it with the help of machines and later removed for disposal by garbage trucks.
The shops that were gutted in Sunday’s fire had a huge stock of products containing chemical agents such as detergents, toiletries and other cleaning products.
Following the advice of health officials from the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, it was decided that the produce exposed to ‘toxic fumes’ was not safe for human consumption.
However, the traders have been disappointed by the action, complaining of losses running into thousands of riyals, which they said was unlikely to be compensated.
According to a source, the fire was caused by a short circuit in an air-conditioning unit at a grocery store on the second floor.