In Male' local market and some retail shops, oranges are now priced at between MVR 12 to 15 a piece. The price of oranges was rising even prior to the start of Ramadan.
STO, however, has maintained the price of oranges at MVR 40 per kilo since the start of Ramadan, which would put the price of an orange at MVR 6.
At present, STO is only selling oranges in retail.
STO brought in a shipment of oranges for Ramadan, and assures that oranges can be sold at between MVR 5 to 6 a piece through out the month.
Ufanveli, one of the largest importers of fruits and vegetables, also brought in a shipment of oranges and has put them up for sale last night.
At Ufanveli, a case of oranges is priced at MVR 1,150. This is a marked increase from the regular price of MVR 250 to 280.
"If we are looking at private companies, they will have the largest stock of oranges right now. However, they are selling cases at a very high price," a domestic supplier said.
It has been reported that the price of oranges rose due to shipments being held in Sri Lanka. However, the reasons for this is so far unclear.
Although oranges are expensive at the moment, most other varieties of fruits and vegetables generally used in Ramadan are fairly priced.
At STO, oranges are at MVR 40 per kilo, green apples at MVR 40 per kilo and red apples at MVR 43 per kilo.
