A 30 to 40 percent drop in local peanut crop encouraged traders to import the fruit from India to meet demand this winter, claimed traders.
Resultantly the overall dry fruit import figures in the first four months of this fiscal year rose to 62,735 tonnes ($34 million) in July-October 2014-2015 as compared to 32,967 tonnes ($27m) in same period last fiscal year, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data suggested.
Total imports in 2013-14 climbed to 142,488 tonnes ($104.5m) as compared to 106,224 tonnes ($82m) in 2012-13, showing 34pc jump in quantity and 27pc in value. Per tonne average value in 2013-14 comes to $729 as compared to $771 in 2012-13.
The increase in quantity was 90pc while value rose by 26.5pc. The average per tonne price in July-October 2014-15 comes to $541 per tonne as compared to $819 per tonne prevailing in the same period last financial year.
Haroon Agar, a leading importer, said that around 400 containers (19 tonnes each) of Indian peanuts arrived in Karachi and Lahore in the last one and a half months.
The wholesale price of Indian peanuts is Rs107 per kg. The wholesale rate of Parachinar peanuts is Rs 175 per kg, same as of last year while the rate of Sukkur variety rose to Rs150 per kg from Rs118 per kg last year.
Salted Kajoo sells between Rs1,200-1,400 per kg while in Empress Market Saddar its price hovers between Rs1,000-1,100 per kg. Kajoo is arriving from India and Vietnam.
Walnut of high imported quality carries price of Rs2,000-2,200 per kg which as claim it as new arrival in the market, while local quality sells at Rs1,200-1,400 per kg. The price of wall nut is almost same as compared to last year.
The price of pine nut has fallen to Rs1,600 per kg in various markets from Rs2,000-2,200 per kg last year. Iranian Salted pistachio is available at Rs1,300-1,600 per kg almost as of last year.
Witnessing no price change than last year, Raisin (Sundarkhani) is available at Rs2,800 per kg while round variety can be purchased at Rs1,200-1400 per kg.
Dried dates sell between Rs140-160 kg almost same price of last year.
