DOHA: Vegetable imports at the Central Market soared an incredible 45 percent last month over March, with India continuing to be the top exporter for the second straight month.
Imports totalled 22,240 tonnes in April as compared with 17,134 tonnes in March, with onions accounting for almost half (48 percent) of the imports.
As local production slows down after March, fresh vegetables sourced by the Central Market from the Qatari farms had the third largest share in sales after imports from Jordan. In March, they accounted for the second largest in procurement after the Indian stocks. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Oman, China and Pakistan were the other countries from where vegetables were sourced
last April. Potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower, lettuce and cauliflower, besides onions, mainly were part of the import as well as of the local produce.
Details provided by the Consumer Protection Department (CPD) of the Ministry of Business and Trade yesterday, however, did not talk of price differences between March and April. The imports showed an 11 percent rise year-on-year in April. The Philippines, a major banana producer, ranked first as fresh fruit exporter in April, followed by Egypt, South Africa, India, Australia, China, Pakistan and Lebanon.
Fruit imports also rose considerably (27 percent) last month over March to 5,020 tonnes, but the rise was merely three percent when compared with April 2012.
The CPD said Iraqi dates and Egyptian strawberry were cheaper this time, while the prices of Chinese apple and Filipino plantains were stable as compared to March. Fresh fish and other seafood items were 21 percent cheaper this year in comparison with April last year, according to the CPD. Hamour fish was a riyal costlier at QR24 for a kilogramme as comparison to March. The CPD said no changes were witnessed in sheep prices between March and April. Australian sheep was the cheapest with the average price being QR350, while the Syrian one was the most expensive at QR1,300.
The Peninsula
