After massive floods in August-September destroyed local date crops in Pakistan, retailers have doubled the prices of Iranian dates this Ramazan.

The 100% increase, however, has been blamed on higher customs duty and transportation costs.

Ameer Muhammad who is a wholesale dealer in Peshawar told Aaj News that local dates were completely rotten due to floods in August and July last year.

Iranian date prices increased due to the closure of the border, increase in custom duty, and extortions at checkpoints, he said.

The custom duty for Iranian dates was around Rs40 to Rs50 per kilogram the previous year, but now traders are paying around Rs140 to Rs150 per kilogram.

“We used to pay around Rs250,000 transport fare and now we are paying Rs450,000 for a single truck because of petrol and diesel price surge,” said Ameer Muhammad.

The per kilogram price of dates has increased by up to Rs350 per kg, causing frustration among consumers. The new prices range between Rs350 an Rs1,200 per kilogram depending on the quality and variety.

In Ramazan, the date fruit is much needed in every Muslim household in Pakistan since traditionally people break their fast with it. Now this basic thing has been made expensive, people in Peshawar told Aaj News.

They said they were left with the only option of ending their fast with water.