As winter approaches, prices for dry fruits, desi chicken broth, and soup have surged in the markets of Rawalpindi. Temporary stalls and carts selling items like peanuts, roasted black gram, soup, and broth have appeared throughout the city, remaining open until 2 a.m. Large stalls at city entrances offer a variety of dry fruits, including popular selections from Afghanistan, Gilgit, Iran, and Balochistan.
This year, rising prices have made dry fruits unaffordable for many consumers. Peanuts, a favorite snack for all age groups, now cost a record Rs 800 per kilogram. Contributing factors to this price increase include higher taxes, customs duties, and transportation fees. Despite the costs, people are still seen enjoying groundnuts, jaggery, and rewari as snacks in offices, shops, and neighborhoods, with families gathering for broth and soup late into the evening.
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Currently, vendors charge Rs 160 for plain soup, Rs 180 for egg soup, Rs 200 for special chicken egg soup, Rs 140 for broth, and Rs 180 for a special broth cup. The steep prices for dry fruits include: peanuts at Rs 800 per kg, roasted black gram ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 per kg, pine nuts (chilgoza) at Rs 16,000 to Rs 20,000 per kg, regular walnuts for Rs 800 per kg, premium walnut kagzi at Rs 1,200 per kg, and mixed dry fruit at Rs 2,850 per kg. Roasted cashews are priced at Rs 3,650 per kg, plain cashews at Rs 3,400 per kg, standard almonds at Rs 1,400 per kg, kagzi almonds at Rs 1,900 per kg, black raisins at Rs 1,700 per kg, pistachios at Rs 3,400 per kg, nimko mix at Rs 950 per kg, sundar khani fruit at Rs 1,650 per kg, Afghan apricots at Rs 1,750 per kg, rewari at Rs 1,000 per kg, and figs at Rs 3,000 per kg.
Vendors like Shakir Abbasi and Fayaz Khan have noted that increased withholding taxes and doubled tax levies have significantly impacted dry fruit prices. Consequently, wholesale sales of dry fruits have dropped by 30% compared to last year, with many customers now purchasing 10-15 kg instead of the usual 20 kg. Street vendors offer peanuts and roasted groundnuts for prices ranging from Rs 30 to Rs 100.
