Orange and apple prices go down at Dhathuruveringe Market

Orange and apple prices in Maldives have gone down after being at an all time high.

At the Dhathuruveringe Market (Farmer's Market), one kilo of oranges have fallen to MVR 33 after being at MVR 80. One kilo of red apples have fallen to MVR 44 after being at MVR 80 as well.

Smaller shops are now selling oranges for MVR 3.50 per piece as the prices for a kilo of oranges and red apples have fallen at the market.

Even though the prices for oranges and red apples have fallen, green apple prices have stayed the same. The price for one kilo of green apples is at MVR 63. As per some businessmen, green apples haven't any changes in price due to its stock not arriving in Maldives.

As the prices of oranges and apples went up, STO proceeded to ship a stock of apples to Maldives and sell it themselves. This was also a factor in the price changes as was said by businessmen.

In order to combat the major price hikes of fruits and vegetables and find a permanent solution, STO had recently decided to bring in 23 food types on a regular basis. This includes 10 types of fruits, 10 types of vegetables, coconuts, lentils and eggs. STO has put the aforementioned into the essential food items list.

Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed has said that with this change, this has brought about a permanent solution to the rising prices of fruits and vegetables at the market. He also said that prices will go down from 15th October onward.

Yesterday on the Rayyithunnaa Eku podcast, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu stated that STO bringing in apples and oranges on a regular basis is not them trying to enter the local business sphere, but rather them trying to provide these food items at reasonable prices.

"I don't want our people to experience any difficulties over other people's actions. The government's wish is to provide the public with the best services. This would result in more competition in the market," said the President yesterday.

As per the President, BML has been providing "generous" opportunities for wholesale food importers in terms of Dollar exchange in recent days that hasn't been seen before. 

BML has stated earlier this month that they have set aside more than USD 73 million (MVR 1.1 billion) for businesses that are to conduct international TT transactions within the first 8 months of 2025.

BML sold USD 69 million all throughout last year for TT transactions. However, the first 8 months of 2025 saw TT transaction rates hit USD 73 million as told by BML.

As per the Essential Commodities Price (ECP) Index that was released on 3rd September form the Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS), the prices of vegetables have also gone up significantly within the last year.

When comparing August 2024 and August 2025, the report shows a 1.96 percent increase in that one month. The (ECP) report also shows that there is a monthly increase for food items. There has been a 1.62 percent increase in food items compared to last month.

The ECP shows that food items such as oil and fat products, along with fruits saw the highest price increases. Fruits saw a 10.20 percent increase, with oil and fat products seeing a 5.38 percent increase, according to a survey by Maldives Statistical Bureau.