Pakistan: Retail Potato Price Drops 8.3% in a Week and 39% in a Year, Official Price Survey Shows
Key takeaways
- 51.09 rupees per kg: average retail potato price on 24.09
- 8.33% fall in the potato price during a single week
- 39.21% lower potato price than in the same week of 2025
- 51 items in the survey; potatoes fell most over one year
Why it matters
- For farmers
- Compare stored-potato sale prices with cold-store costs now; retail prices are 39% below last year as autumn planting starts.
- For processors
- Low retail prices may offer cheaper raw material this season; check quality of old-crop potatoes leaving cold stores.
- For traders
- Follow the weekly survey for signs of a floor, and look at export demand while domestic prices stay low.
- For suppliers
- Expect cautious seed and fertiliser purchases, as growers have less cash after a year of falling prices.
60-second summary
The average retail price of potatoes in Pakistan fell to Rs51.09 per kilogram in the week ended on 24 September 2026, according to the weekly Sensitive Price Indicator of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The survey covers 51 essential items in 50 markets of 17 cities. The price was Rs55.73 a week earlier, so the weekly fall was 8.33%; among foods only tomatoes fell faster. One year earlier the price was Rs84.05, which gives a yearly fall of 39.21%, the largest decrease of all 51 items, ahead of sugar, tomatoes and eggs. The general index rose by 0.99% in the same week, mainly because of electricity. City averages for potatoes ranged from about Rs33 to Rs72 per kilogram. The survey gives no reasons for the change and no data on stocks or planting. The figures arrive as the autumn planting season starts in Punjab, where low prices reduce cash for seed and fertiliser and add pressure to sell stored potatoes.
The average retail price of potatoes in Pakistan fell to Rs51.09 per kilogram in the week ended on 24 September 2026.
The data come from the weekly Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The survey covers 51 essential items. Prices are collected in 50 markets in 17 cities.
A week earlier, on 17 September, potatoes cost Rs55.73 per kilogram. The weekly fall was 8.33%. Among food items, only tomatoes fell faster during the week.
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One year earlier, in the week to 25 September 2025, the average price was Rs84.05 per kilogram. The yearly fall is 39.21%. This was the largest yearly decrease among all 51 items in the survey. Sugar, tomatoes and eggs followed.
The fall in potato prices came while the general index moved up. The SPI rose by 0.99% during the week, mainly because of a higher electricity charge.
Prices also differ between cities. The lowest city average for potatoes in the survey was about Rs33 per kilogram. Most city averages were between Rs43 and Rs72 per kilogram.
The survey does not explain the reasons for the price change. It also does not give data on potato stocks or planting.
The new data come at the start of the autumn planting season in Punjab, the main potato-growing province. Low prices at retail usually mean low prices at the farm gate as well.
Why it matters
Potato growers in Pakistan decide now how much land to plant for the main autumn crop. Prices 39% lower than a year ago reduce the money available for seed and fertiliser. They also increase the pressure to sell stored potatoes and to find export markets. The weekly survey will show whether the fall continues as old-crop stocks leave cold stores.
Photo: A vegetable market in Dadu, Sindh, Pakistan (illustrative). kamran.solangi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
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What next
The weekly survey will show whether prices keep falling as old-crop potatoes leave cold stores. The survey gives no data on stocks or planting.
Sources
- Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, SPI for the week ended 24.09.2026 — https://www.pbs.gov.pk/weekly-sensitive-price-indicator-spi-for-the-week-ended-on-24-09-2026/
- PBS, executive summary (PDF) — https://www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Executive-Summary-SPI-Report_24.09.2026.pdf
- PBS, city annex (PDF) — https://www.pbs.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Annex_24.09.2026.pdf
- One official source.
Linked in this material
- Country
- Pakistan
- Companies
- Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
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