Fresh Fruits and vegetables dumped to hike demand and prices

A group of vendors at the Central Market, adept in Keynesian economics, is directly throwing fresh loads of vegetables and fruits into garbage cans with an aim to create artificial demand, say sources.

They very well know that less supply means more demand, more demand means more price and more price means more profits. “Since Ramadan began, every day we are loading heaps of fruits and vegetables into our trucks. They are not rotten ones but fresh,” said municipal worker. At a particular place behind the market at around 10.00 am one can witness loads of fresh vegetables and fruits thrown as wastes.

Tribune recently reported about a hike in vegetable and fruit prices despite the government vow to keep prices steady during the holy month.

Sources say this is a regular practice employed by vendors here to create demand and thereby increase prices.

“Boxes of vegetables and fruits are dumped as waste by these vendors to earn extra profits. We should remember these people are doing this at a time when millions suffer from hunger across the world,” said an Asian worker at the market, who doesn’t want to be identified.

The government has been implementing so many measures including regular inspections to check price rise during the holy month, but these vendors are simply outsmarting the authorities.