Shoppers in Girne Complain About High Prices of Vegetables and Fruit

At the market in Girne, shoppers complain about a noticeable rise in the prices of vegetables and fruit. According to them, due to the high cost, many products have to be bought in smaller quantities or abandoned altogether. Among the most expensive goods are strawberries at 350 lira per kilogram, while figs, pomegranates and kiwis cost 300 lira per kilogram. Okra, beans, hot peppers and some other products are sold at 250 lira per kilogram. Prices of staple products also remain high: onions cost up to 80 lira, while potatoes cost 70 lira per kilogram.

Shoppers say that before making their purchases, they visit several stalls to compare prices and hope that they will come down.

«If a product is expensive, we buy less of it,» one of the market visitors said. Other shoppers note that even seasonal vegetables and fruit are being sold at prices that are becoming increasingly unaffordable.

Vendors also complain about declining sales. One of them noted that even prickly pear, a traditional product in Cyprus, has become significantly more expensive due to the spread of a disease that destroyed most of the plants on the island.

During his visit to the market, TRNC President Tufan Erhürman also spoke with shoppers and vendors. He was accompanied by Girne Mayor Murat Şenkul.