What is the price of rohu fish per kg in Pakistan?

Roughly ₨700–1,100 per kilogram at retail across the major cities in August 2026, and ₨600–750 at farm gate or mandi. Our farm-direct rate is ₨850/kg for whole cleaned fish netted to order, falling to ₨800/kg on a 5 kg order.

Why is rohu more expensive in winter?

Carp growth slows sharply in cool water, so ponds yield less between December and February and supply tightens. Prices generally soften again in the post-monsoon draw-down.

Is rohu cheaper than tilapia?

No — rohu usually costs more per kilo. Tilapia reaches market size in about six months against roughly twelve for rohu, and that time difference shows up in the price.

Is farm-direct rohu cheaper than the market?

It is usually mid-range rather than cheapest. Removing the transporter and the retailer's margins roughly offsets the delivery cost — what you gain is fish that was in a pond the previous morning rather than on ice since last week.

Rohu Fish Price in Pakistan

6 min readFigures reviewed 6 August 2026By Mehran Yusuf

The short answer

Rohu retails between roughly ₨700 and ₨1,100 per kilogram across Pakistan's major cities, with farm-gate and mandi rates running ₨600–750/kg. The spread is not quality — it is days on ice and the number of hands between the pond and the counter. We sell rohu netted to order at ₨850/kg whole and cleaned, which sits mid-range on price and at the top on freshness because there is no intermediate step.

Rohu prices by channel, August 2026

These are ranges we see rather than official figures — there is no published national price series for farmed freshwater fish in Pakistan, and anyone presenting one number as the price is guessing. Rates move with season (prices climb in winter as ponds slow down), with fish size, and with how far the fish has travelled.

Indicative freshwater fish prices, August 2026 (PKR per kg, whole cleaned)
Fish	Typical market range	Our farm-direct price	Notes
Rohu (Labeo rohita)	₨700 – 1,100	₨850	Netted to order; ₨800/kg on 5 kg
Thaila / catla	₨650 – 950	₨780	Fattier, better for long curries
Tilapia	₨550 – 850	₨700	Mildest, fewest bones
Mandi / farm-gate rohu	₨600 – 750	—	Bulk, uncleaned, buyer collects

Why the range is so wide

A kilo of rohu on a Karachi counter has usually been netted upcountry two to four days earlier and iced ever since. Each day on ice costs texture and costs the seller weight — fish loses moisture — so the retail price has to carry that loss plus a transporter's margin plus the retailer's. The wide band you see across the city is mostly a band of freshness, not of quality at the pond.

Size matters more than most buyers expect. A 1–1.5 kg rohu commands a premium over a 700 g fish because the flesh-to-bone ratio is better and it portions into proper darha steaks. Very large fish sometimes go cheaper per kilo because households find them awkward to cook.

Season moves it too. Carp growth slows sharply in Sindh's cool months, so supply tightens from December through February and prices firm. The cheapest rohu of the year is generally in the post-monsoon harvesting window when ponds are being drawn down.

What you are paying for at each step

At farm gate you are paying for feed, pond management and a year of the fish's growth. Rohu takes roughly twelve months to reach a good market size, against about six for tilapia — that time is most of the cost difference between them.

Between farm and counter you are paying for ice, transport, spoilage and two or three margins. Buying direct removes those and replaces them with a delivery charge, which is why farm-direct pricing lands mid-range rather than cheapest: we are not selling you four-day-old fish at a discount, we are selling fresh fish at roughly what iced fish costs.

How to judge a rohu before you pay for it

Press the flank — it should spring back, not hold the dent. The eye should be domed and clear rather than sunken and cloudy. Lift the gill cover: bright red is fresh, brown-grey is not. And smell it. Fresh freshwater fish smells of clean water and almost nothing else; the sharp fishy smell people associate with fish is the smell of it going off.

A muddy taste is a separate problem from freshness. It comes from geosmin produced by algae in overcrowded, oxygen-poor ponds, and no amount of ice fixes it. It is a stocking-density problem, which is why it is worth asking a seller how their ponds are run.

Common questions

What is the price of rohu fish per kg in Pakistan?: Roughly ₨700–1,100 per kilogram at retail across the major cities in August 2026, and ₨600–750 at farm gate or mandi. Our farm-direct rate is ₨850/kg for whole cleaned fish netted to order, falling to ₨800/kg on a 5 kg order.
Why is rohu more expensive in winter?: Carp growth slows sharply in cool water, so ponds yield less between December and February and supply tightens. Prices generally soften again in the post-monsoon draw-down.
Is rohu cheaper than tilapia?: No — rohu usually costs more per kilo. Tilapia reaches market size in about six months against roughly twelve for rohu, and that time difference shows up in the price.
Is farm-direct rohu cheaper than the market?: It is usually mid-range rather than cheapest. Removing the transporter and the retailer's margins roughly offsets the delivery cost — what you gain is fish that was in a pond the previous morning rather than on ice since last week.