EDITORIAL: The revelation that the gap between wholesale and retail prices of essential commodities in Pakistan has widened to an alarming 133 percent is not just a data point — it is a damning indictment of provincial governance.
This gap, which directly translates to inflationary pressure on households, is growing not because of market forces alone, but because of a near-complete abdication of responsibility by the very authorities meant to keep such disparities in check.
The National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC), in its latest meeting, revealed just how stark the situation has become. In several cities, retail prices of basic food items are unjustifiably — and in some cases obscenely — higher than their wholesale counterparts. Potatoes in Quetta, for instance, are being sold in retail at 133 percent above wholesale prices.
Onions in Lahore show a 60 percent markup, while in Karachi, the retail rate is 106 percent higher than wholesale.
These are not marginal inefficiencies in distribution or transport costs. These are numbers that reflect either deliberate profiteering or, worse, regulatory paralysis.
The real scandal, however, is not the overcharging itself — it is the apathy that enables it. Chief Secretaries in Punjab and Balochistan, according to the same NPMC report, barely engaged with the price monitoring dashboards meant to flag these issues. The Punjab chief secretary logged in three times during the month.
Balochistan’s chief secretary didn’t bother at all. In contrast, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s chief secretary accessed the system 88 times. The disparity in administrative diligence speaks for itself.
Why is it that some provinces can demonstrate a basic sense of duty while others cannot? Inflation in Pakistan, especially food inflation, has been squeezing household budgets for years now. This isn’t a new crisis. And yet, it continues to be treated as though it’s an annual surprise.
The federal government has its own role to play in ensuring policy coordination, but when it comes to price enforcement at the local level, the responsibility is squarely with the provincial governments. They were given this mandate with the 18th Amendment.
Yet, instead of demonstrating capacity and vigilance, they’ve simply passed the burden to helpless consumers and unchecked middlemen.
This is not just a governance issue; it is a moral failing. To allow such a wide gap between wholesale and retail prices is to knowingly permit exploitation. And while provincial officials fiddle, the common citizen pays the price — quite literally.
This situation demands more than dashboard access. It demands accountability. Chief Secretaries and district commissioners must be required to explain such lapses and take action against local price controllers who are clearly either asleep at the wheel or complicit in the racket.
There must also be real-time reporting systems that not only record discrepancies but enforce penalties in a timely and transparent manner.
It’s often said that inflation hurts the poor the most. But in Pakistan, it’s not just inflation — it’s price manipulation, enabled by absent regulation. Provincial governments must not only accept this indictment but respond with urgency. Routine price inspections, stronger penalties for profiteering, and the public naming of habitual violators are only the beginning.
The time for cosmetic solutions is over. If the state cannot be bothered to ensure that a potato or an onion is sold at a fair price, it cannot claim to care about economic hardship. It’s time for Pakistan’s provincial administrations to start doing the jobs they were entrusted with — or be held to account for failing those they serve.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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