The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is working on an online system to sell fruit and vegetables at government rates. Mayor Wasim Akhtar met the CEO of online vegetable retailer Sabzi Mandi Online Ahsan Raza to discuss starting an online system through which people can easily get fresh fruit and vegetables at their doorstep at government rates. It was decided that the KMC would start this service as a pilot project in District Central, from where it would eventually spread to other districts of the city. Wasim Akhtar said the KMC will be working on the project with Sabzi Mandi Online. “It will take a month to start the online service,” he said. The aim of the service, Akhtar said, will be to save people’s time and travel costs, and ensure they can get fruit and vegetables at their doorstep at the right price. The KMC will provide Grade 1 fruit and vegetables through this service. Raza said their company is already being run in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Sargodha, adding that the number of consumers is increasing day by day. “Normally, the cycle of provision of fruit and vegetables to the general public go through four stages–first the farmers supply to the dealer, the dealer to the wholesaler, the wholesaler to the retailer and finally the retailer to the public, which increases the cost for the end user,” he explained. Raza said consumers also have the option to return their fruit and vegetables if they’re not satisfied with the quality of the delivered goods. He said that the government rates of fruits and vegetables would be updated daily on their website for the sake of convenience.
