The stock market in Lebanon is no longer limited to the prices of currencies and precious metals, but has expanded to include the prices of vegetables and fruits, which in the past weeks have recorded remarkable numbers.
After the price of a kilo of cucumbers crossed the threshold of 40,000 pounds, the price of a kilo of tomatoes set a record, with it exceeding the limits of 60,000 pounds.
But this week, many Lebanese noticed a noticeable decline in the prices of vegetables and fruits in the shops, after they had recorded a crazy rise in the past months.
For example, but not limited to, the price of a kilo of lobster has become 13,000 pounds, after touching the limits of 130,000 pounds, while the price of a kilo of zucchini has become 20 thousand pounds, after it had exceeded 50 thousand. As for the prices of cucumbers and tomatoes, they witnessed a significant decline, as the price of a kilo no longer exceeds 16 thousand pounds.
As with vegetables, so are fruits, especially seasonal ones, which are now available in the markets in abundance and at reasonable prices, compared to the high prices that hit Lebanon.
Will stopping export lead to lower prices locally?
Prices at the local level are linked to the high costs of production, from seeds to fertilizers, in addition to fuel prices, which automatically leads to higher transportation costs.
So today the prices of fruits and vegetables are witnessing a noticeable increase, will this transfer to the prices of meat and food commodities?