Kitchen items prices maintain rising trend

The price of most of the essential kitchen items increased during this week, according to a survey carried out by Business Recorder on Saturday. The food items whose prices registered increase were onions, tomatoes, potatoes, chicken, sugar, wheat flour, dry fruits, cereals, pulses, and cooked food.
The price of chicken (live) increased from Rs 120 to Rs 130 per kg, cauliflower from 30 per kg to Rs 40 per kg, peas from Rs 100 to Rs 150, potato from Rs 30 Rs 40 per kg and cabbage from Rs 35 to Rs 50. The price of 20 kg bag of wheat flour once again witnessed an increase of Rs 10 this week and was being sold at Rs 610 against last week's Rs 600, while liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) price rose from Rs 107 to 110 per kg. Chicken meat price increased by Rs 20 per kg and was being sold at Rs 260 against last week's Rs 240 per kg, whereas mutton was being sold in the range of Rs 380 to Rs 420 per kg.
The survey observed that shopkeepers were selling kitchen items including vegetables, meat, chicken, fruits, pulses, wheat flour, cooking oil and other items at escalating rates in different parts of the twin cities. However, there was no change in the prices of eggs, which were available at Rs 84 per dozen.
Brinjal (baingan) was the cheapest vegetable available in the market at Rs 30 per kg, while peas was the most costly at Rs 150 per kg. According to Nazir Khan, a vegetable seller, traders were charging different consumers different rates and there appeared to be complete absence of any check.
He said that peas were being sold at Rs 150 per kg, karela at Rs 60, ocra at Rs 60, onion at Rs 40, kado (lauki) at Rs 50, arvi (yam) at Rs 40, tomatoes at Rs 50 and lemon at Rs 60 per kg. The survey showed that prices of different pulses during the week remained unchanged.
The prices of different soft drinks like Pepsi, Coca Cola, Dew, Amrat cola saw increase during the week as the supplier of soft drinks increased prices of half litre, litre, one and half litre and two litre by Rs 5 per bottle, survey observed. Fruits like apples, pomegranate, grapes were being sold at Rs 100, Rs 125 per kg, 220 per kg and banana at Rs 50 per dozen. It was also observed that vegetable/fruit prices in areas a little distant from the mandis were 20 percent higher as compared to the prices charged in areas close to fruit and vegetable markets.