Prices of essential food items become dearer

PESHAWAR: With the beginning of holy month of Ramazan, steep increase in prices of essential food items was witnessed in retail market.

A market-weekly survey carried out by Business Recorder here on Sunday revealed the price of most of the daily use items, including cooking oil/ghee, live chicken/meat, vegetable, flour, dates, pulses and others have sharply increased. Faithful have complained prices are out of purchasing power amid unchecked by authorities concerned.

Live chicken prices became dearer, as available at Rs485/kg against the price of R340/kg before the beginning of the Ramazan, boneless crossed Rs500/kg, the survey said. It furthermore noted a dozen of farm eggs being sold at Rs300 while hen eggs also available at Rs500/kg.

Prices of kitchen items witness further increase

Butchers are openly defying the order of local administration and charging consumers with self-imposed rates. Cow meat was available at Rs1200/kg against the fixed price by local administration at Rs800-900/kg while boneless meat is being sold at Rs1400/kg in the open market. Likewise, Price of mutton beef touched at Rs2500/kg in the open market, as per survey.

Also, the survey noted from Rs50-100 and Rs250 per carton in prices of various quality and brands of cooking oil/ghee increased in the retail market.

Sugar price remained high, which is being sold at Rs165/kg against the Rs145 before the beginning of the Ramazan, the survey said.

Tomato prices further dropped as being sold Rs80/kg against the price of Rs100/kg in the previous week, according to the survey. Similarly, onion is being sold at Rs100/kg against the price of Rs120/g while some vendors and dealers charge a self-imposed price in the retail market. Likewise, ginger and garlic remained unchanged as being available at Rs800/kg and Rs400 and Rs600/kg respectively. Green chilli was being sold at Rs120-150/kg, the survey said.

Prices of other veggie prices remained high in the open market. Peas was being sold at Rs100-120 per kg, capsicum at Rs200/kilo, ladyfinger Rs200/ kilo, and curry Rs70/ kg and, Kachalu Rs150-200/ kilo, turnip at Rs50/kg Eggplant (bringle) Rs100/ kilo, Zucchini (tori) Rs80-100/ kilo, Tinda Rs100/kg, lemon was being sold at Rs200/ kg, the survey said.

It added the Arvi was available at Rs200/kg, Karela (bitter gourd) at Rs250/kg, cabbage at Rs120/kg, red-coloured potatoes available at Rs100-120/- per kg while white-coloured potatoes are sold at Rs70-80/kg in the retail market.

Price of flour also remained unchanged as 20-kg fine flour sac was being sold at Rs1750-1800 and Rs1900/sac and brown-coloured flour sac at Rs1500-1600/sac in the open market. Wheat flour and other products like maida, soji and choker flour also remained sky-high in the retail market.

According to the survey, prices of all brands and qualities of beverages also remained high in the local market. Black tea was being sold at Rs1400-1500 per kg, the survey added.

The survey said good quality rice (sela) was available at Rs320/kg, while low quality rice was available at Rs300/kg, while tota rice was available at Rs180-200/kg.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025