MADINA: Retailers have raised some vegetable prices by 33 percent this month, which now means that the difference in wholesale and retail prices is as high as 160 percent in some cases. Cartons of tomatoes jumped to SR199 over the past few months from a low of SR60. One kilogram of tomatoes is now sold for SR4. The price of pepper is also up to SR60 from SR35; this means that the difference between the wholesale and retail price is now a whopping 140 percent. Second on the list is lettuce which is sold at SR40 a carton, up from SR30. In contrast, the prices of vegetables such as eggplant, okra, cucumber, onion, parsley and potatoes have registered a significant drop. The prices of certain fruits have skyrocketed. Dealers say that retailers are raising prices because of the increased demand arising from the summer holidays and more visitors streaming into Madina.
