Mixed trend in kitchen items prices

Prices of the essential kitchen items showed mixed trend during the current week as compared to last week, according to a survey carried out by Business Recorder on Saturday. In the twin cities of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, traders said that prices of essential kitchen items had increased significantly in the first week of Ramazan, but now rates of essential commodities including vegetables and fruits are stable in the market.
They said that during last week of Ramazan a new wave of increase in prices of all the items is expected, they added. Except decline in rates of a few kitchen items, prices of cooking oil/ghee, onion and karela with entire range of essential commodities remained on high side. Similarly, sugar price increased by Rs 3 per kg.
Prices of most of the fruits and vegetables remained on high side without significant change in the week under review as compared to the past. Apple was available at Rs 160 per kg, mango at Rs 100 per kg, banana at Rs 80 per dozen, peach at Rs 80 per kg and cantaloupe (garma) was available at Rs 60 per kg without significant change.
Vegetables prices registered mixed prices trend as rates of some vegetables declined, while others increased. Tomato was available at Rs 60 per kg, potato at Rs 45 per kg, arvi at Rs 50 per kg and red chilli at Rs 350 per kg. Similarly, onions were available at Rs 40 per kg, karela at Rs 50 per kg and Kado at Rs 35 per kg against last week's prices of Rs 45 per kg, 60 per kg and 40 per kg respectively, while milk and yoghurt were available at Rs 70 per kg and Rs 75 per kg.
Prices of most pulses remained unchanged. Retail price of daal Mmsur surged to Rs 105 to Rs 107 per kg from Rs 98 per kg and Daal Channa increased from Rs 65 per kg to Rs 68 per kg in the first week of Ramazan. However, no further increase was witnessed in these prices.
Cooking oil/ghee producers like Habib, Dalda, Sufi, Mezan and Kashmir reduced the price of their product by Rs 15-20 per kg before Ramazan as a special package, but the retailers were selling to consumers at higher prices. However, after passage of two weeks now retailers have brought down ghee/cooking oil prices by Rs 3 per kg in the market.
In addition prices of different essential commodities like flour, rice, tea etc vary from shop to shop in different localities of the twin cities. Shortage of sugar was witnessed at utility stores and consumers were unable to purchase sugar at the government promised rates. According to the utility store officials, sugar and ghee supply is very low. Therefore, shortage is observed. However, in the open market an increase of Rs 3 per kg has been noticed in last one week.