Vegetable markets in some areas have raised the price of a box of tomatoes to SR80, equal to the cost of half a gram of 18-carat gold.

Many consumers in Qassim have been complaining of the high prices. However, a vendor, Ibrahim Al-Khareef, said prices usually rise as winter approaches.

“Tomatoes are planted during the winter inside greenhouses to protect them from frost. This is why cultivation is expensive. The price of one box of tomatoes weighing 5 kg is SR80,” he said.

Ahmed Aldosari, a vendor, said: “We retailers buy the product at a high price and are obliged to sell it at a higher price as a result.”

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