Prices of kitchen items remain high despite reduction in fuel rates

PESHAWAR: Prices of daily use kitchen items, including live chicken/meat, vegetable, flour, cooking oil/ghee, sugar, milk powder, pack milk, diapers etc remained high in the retail market.

A weekly-market survey carried out by Business Recorder here on Sunday revealed that despite the reduction in prices of petroleum products, the prices are still high in the open market. Buyers criticised the local administration over keeping a complete mum and officials concerned are least bothered to take action against profiteers, who are squeezing them with charging artificial/self-imposed rates.

One-kilogram live chicken was available at Rs450 in the retail market whereas a dozen of farm eggs were being sold at Rs240 and Rs260, the survey said. It noted one kilogramme of cow meat without bone was available at Rs1350 against the official rates of Rs900 per kilogramme announced by local authorities concerned. Mutton beef was being sold from Rs 2500 to Rs 3000 per kg in the open market.

On the other hand, people have complained local hotels have sharply increased charges on pretext of increasing LPG and petroleum prices. Similarly the tandoorwala also charged double the price of low-weight roti.

Tomatoes were sold at Rs100-120 while onion was being sold at Rs100 against the price Rs70 per kg whereas ginger was available at Rs 600 and garlic was at Rs300-400/kg in the retail market, the survey added. Green chilli was being sold at Rs80 per kg whereas lemon was being sold at Rs100 per kilogramme against the price of 100 per kilogramme in the retail market. Peas was being sold at Rs150 per kg, capsicum at Rs120 per kilogramme, lady finger at Rs 200-300 per kilogramme, Arvi at Rs 150-200 per kilogramme, turnip at Rs 100 per kilogramme, Eggplant (bringle) at Rs 100 per kilogramme, Zucchini (tori) at Rs 120-150 per kilogramme, Tinda Rs 100 per kilogramme, cabbage at Rs 120 per kilogramme, red-coloured potatoes available at Rs 70 per kilogramme while white-coloured potatoes are sold at Rs 50 per kilogramme in the retail market, the survey said.

Sugar remained stable, being sold at Rs160 from Rs 170 per kilogramme, the survey said. Similarly, flour prices remained stable as a 20-kg bag was being sold at Rs2700 against the price of 2900-3000. The price of an 80-kg bag remained unchanged as available at Rs 12,500 and Rs13000 per sac in the wholesale market, the survey said.

Prices of pulses remained unchanged in the retail market, according to the survey.

The survey said good quality rice (sela) was available at Rs 360 per kilogramme, while low quality rice was available at Rs 300-320 per kilogramme, while toota rice was available at Rs 200-220 per kilogramme.

Similarly, the survey furthermore said dal mash was available at Rs 480, dal masoor at Rs 320 per kilogramme, dal chilka (black) at Rs 320 per kilogramme, dal chilka (green) at Rs 260 per kilogramme, moonge at Rs 400 per kilogramme, dhoti dal at Rs 400 per kilogramme, dal Channa at Rs 450 per kilogramme, red bean at Rs 440 per kilogramme, Gram flour (baisen) at Rs 420 per kilogramme against Rs 280 per kilogramme, big-size white Channa at Rs 380 per kilogramme, small-size white Channa from Rs 360 per kilogramme.

Apple was available at Rs 400-500 per kilogramme, banana at Rs150-200 per dozen, Guava at Rs200 per kilogramme, melon at Rs150 per kilo, strawberry at Rs250-300 per kilo, orange was available at Rs 300 per dozen, grapes at Rs500-600 per kilo.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026