DOHA: Prices for fresh vegetables are at their lowest at the Central Market as traders struggle to cope with the low turnout of buyers caused by the cold weather and the competition from shopping centres.
A number of traders in the market said their profit margins were also hit as the priority was to sell all the products which are perishable, to a few customers who come to the market.
“We used to have most customers in the evening but recently due to cold weather few families go out shopping in markets,” said Mohiudin, a vegetable seller.
According to him a kilogramme of carrot was being sold at QR2.5 while on normal days it was sold for about QR3.5 and it is being priced at QR5 in grocery stores and some supermarkets.
Other big price drops were seen on pepper being sold at QR4 a kilogram while it sold at QR7 in December in the same market. Prices of potatoes also were down by about QR1 from the usual QR3.5 to QR2.5 a kilogramme. Also a box of tomatoes worth 7kg at QR10 while a kilogramme of tomatoes was sold at QR3 in a large supermarket. A box of cabbages with three big pieces is available at QR6 while a single cabbage was sold at QR3 in large supermarkets.
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Mohiudin also said that the supply of vegetables from local dealers and from Saudi Arabia has been much more than the demand the market was witnessing from local buyers this month.
Mohammed, another seller in the market also said that vegetables were almost like being given out at their cost prices in order to avoid making full losses.
“Sometimes traders even auction their products when they fail to sell them and they are worried they will go bad. With the prevailing prices of vegetables it is difficult for the owners to pay the worker’s salaries and also rent the market stalls,” he said.
Jamaludin, another trader blamed mostly the cold weather for oversupply of vegetables and fruits to the market, adding that such a supply was very rare in the hot summer season. “When it’s hot we have more customers and less supply and when it’s cold there is more supply and less customers. It’s always a puzzle,” he said.
Mohammed Shahajahan says that business had gone down in the last five years due to more supermarkets expanding and opening up in residential areas. “Buyers are reluctant to come to the markets as they are often far from their homes and there are supermarkets selling the same products almost everywhere,” he said.
One customer said termed the cheap prices a good sign as everything else in the country was going up.
“At least for now we can get some vegetables at less prices as prices of other foodstuffs, rent and other essentials in the country are always increasing,” he said.
“Unfortunately these low prices are only seasonal and as soon as the summer approaches prices of vegetables will also go up.”
As seen in The Peninsula
