ISLAMABAD:As the cold winds of winter season have started blowing after the first rain spell of the season, the demand of popular winter delights has registered a significant increase with majority of citizens buying variety of dry fruits.
It is the regular tradition for most of the people to consume different dry fruits during the winter season due to the much-needed nutritional value.
Most of the families consider eating dry fruits during the family gatherings and interactions as an essential tradition while these are served with tea or ‘qehwa’ for the regular guests in some areas of the country as a gesture of hospitality and protocol.
However the prevailing internationally induced inflation has increased the prices of different food items in Pakistan along with impacting the purchasing capacity of the people.
The prices of the dry fruits including peanuts, almonds, pine nut, walnuts, pistachio, apricot, cashew, dried figs, raisin have witnessed an upward trend since the last few years while pine nut has left the others behind in terms of rising prices.
Muhammad Nawaz, a dry fruit seller at Karachi company said that he sells almonds (without shell) at Rs. 2,000 per kg, pine nut at Rs. 6,500 per kg, walnut at Rs. 600, pistachio (Irani) for Rs. 3,000, dry apricot for Rs. 1,000, dried figs for Rs. 1,400 and raisin for Rs. 900, dates for Rs.600 and cashews for Rs. 2,300.
Talking to reporter, Hajira Khatoon, a customer at a dry fruits shop at Aabpara Market said, “It has become our routine from the last many years to buy the whole stock of dry fruits especially peanuts, almonds and walnuts for the season as the family members especially children like to eat these with tea”.
Keeping in view the health benefits of dry fruits, I always buy dry fruits in bulk but the exorbitant rates of dry fruits have limited our purchasing capacity.
Ahmed Ali, a government servant said, “Since the prices of dry fruits are surging every season, it seems that this will become a commodity of a certain segment of society that would be able to afford buying these.” He said that earlier they were habitual of eating dry fruits with green tea daily but now they cannot afford to buy these due to high rates.
He said every kind of dry fruit has its own nutritional value like almonds are good for eyes and walnuts for the brain. It is surprising that many of the dry fruits in spite of local production are costly and out of reach of a common man.