Abstract
The present research was conducted to determine the seasonal volatility of four important vegetables in Pakistan. The four vegetables included in this study are onion, tomato, potato, and cabbage. The first three of which are necessary kitchen items in the food consumption of the country. The study area is comprised of the Lahore district of the Punjab province which is the most populous city in the province and the major producer of the vegetables in the country. Secondary data of the year 2010 and 2011 about prices and quantity of these four vegetables were collected from the market committee and agriculture marketing information system Lahore. The price flexibility coefficient was estimated along with the seasonal behavior concerning prices for perishable vegetables. The results indicate that the irregular seasonal and cyclical fluctuations observed every year. Price fluctuations for onion, tomato, potato, and cabbage are seasonal. After the harvest, low prices were observed while price were observed high before the start of the season when relative supply shortage occursand vice versa. Hence, the study suggests that prices can be controlled by intervening in the market by increasing supply and production using new technology and high yielding seed varieties.
Highlights
The necessary kitchen items in Pakistan are potato, cabbage, onion, and tomato
The data shows that overall vegetable prices are volatile and have increased over time
Vegetable prices were lowest during the harvesting period starting from December to May
Summary
The necessary kitchen items in Pakistan are potato, cabbage, onion, and tomato. These are perishable commodities in nature (Shahzad et al, 2019a). The price elasticity of demand for tomato, potato, and onion is very high because these are frequently used vegetables, while the cabbage has a nearly inelastic demand. Vegetable production is riskier compared to major crops. Since vegetables are highly susceptible to disease and insect attacks and require specific skills and knowledge to perform farm management practices.
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