Bewildered Pakistanis are responding to historic spikes in the price of tomatoes with wistful wit and hungry humor as the fruit fiasco reaches fever pitch.

The beleaguered and tomato-scarce country is considering buying tomatoes from Iran after supplies dwindled due to heavy rains, which hampered domestic production, as well as the suspension of trade with India over the Kashmir issue.

The lack of imports amid its ongoing spat with its neighbor has hit particularly hard, with prices of the vine fruit skyrocketing to record highs of Rs400 ($2.56) per kilogram in certain parts of the country.

That represents an even-further increase from an already eye watering Rs300-320 ($1.49-$1.59) per kg on Monday. For reference, prices hovered around Rs117 (75 cents) per kg in the first week of November.

Tomato now a days 😂 pic.twitter.com/3hALhV7fmx — Sidrah (@chikoo_4567) November 14, 2019

The decision to sell in parity with Iranian prices is yielding local Pakistani traders major, meme worthy profits, as seen online. “When a bouquet of Tomatoes and Chilgozay (pine nuts) are a very acceptable gift at a Shaadi (wedding) #RightNowInPakistan,” Pakistani celebrity Shaniera Akram joked on Twitter.

The message has inspired an outpouring of memes as Pakistanis attempt to laugh through the trying situation.

Look At This Man As He Is on 2nd Place In Net Worth After Bill Gates 😂😂😂Tomato Rs 320 Per KG 😜 pic.twitter.com/6YN7HmDlre — 𝐀𝐤𝐡𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐮 🇵🇰 (@Akhtar31288) November 13, 2019

Meanwhile, Pakistani journalist Naila Inayat shared what appeared to be parody footage, complete with a laugh track and sound effects, showing a Pakistani bride adorned with tomatoes instead of traditional ornate jewellery at a wedding ceremony.

Tomato jewellery. In case you thought you've seen everything in life.. pic.twitter.com/O9t6dds8ZO — Naila Inayat नायला इनायत (@nailainayat) November 18, 2019

“The price of gold is very high. Tomatoes and pine nuts are expensive as well. So, I used tomatoes for my wedding,” the ‘bride’ says. Various versions of the video have gone viral with over 33,000 views on Twitter and some 383,585 views on YouTube and 1.3 million views on Facebook. The reporter in the clip, Yasir Shami, is known for his satirical videos.

New crops of tomatoes and onions are expected in several weeks so the scarcity and the bittersweet banter may have a limited shelf life.

Also on rt.com For crying out loud: Delhi onion prices soar 40% in one week due to unseasonal rainfall

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