The prices of kitchen items registered a drastic increase during the week ended on January 15, compared to previous week, according to a survey carried out by Business Recorder. Traders at Gunj Mandi Rawalpindi (grains and cooking oil wholesale market) told Business Recorder that prices of cooking oil, tea, ghee, bread, jam, and other essential kitchen items had again increased during the week.
The price of ghee/cooking oil has almost gone up by Rs 10 per kg while price of one kg Lipton tea pack has increased by Rs 35 in the retail market and tomatoes by Rs 10 per kg. According to traders, the price of 12 kg tin of normal quality cooking oil shot up to Rs 2,000 from Rs 1,810.
The price of 16 kg tin of cooking oil and ghee surged to Rs 2,700 from Rs 2,500, showing an increase of Rs 200 per tin, while branded cooking oil and ghee in one kg packing increased by Rs 10 per pack, which now is being sold at Rs 190 per kg.
Different buyers at Fruit and Vegetable Market, Islamabad lamented the rise in prices and stated that they were unable to understand why the government was not taking serious steps to reduce prices. They said that a few years back there was a proper market mechanism and no one was allowed to overcharge, but today in wholesale market as well as in retail market no one is monitoring prices.
"We are facing multiple problems including gas load shedding which renders us unable to cook food in our homes while electricity load shedding is also increasing our problems as our kids are unable to complete their homework and are not able to study at night time" said Nasreen, a school teacher.
She said that skyrocketing prices of vegetables and other essential kitchen items had made it difficult for a common man to manage his monthly budget. Jamshed, a vegetable dealer, said that prices of vegetables continue to rise due to insufficient supply due to fog. He added that tomatoes, which cost Rs 40 per kg in mid-October, now cost almost Rs 80 to 100 per kg. "Prices of most common vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes have doubled. And fresh vegetables like spring onions, green leafy vegetables and turmeric are hardly available," he added.
According to traders, grains, pulses and oil are getting costlier with each passing day. They said that this year prices of kitchen items would keep increasing as was witnessed in the past year. During the week under review, onion prices went up by Rs 5 as the commodity is being sold at Rs 50 in wholesale market and Rs 60 in retail market, which a few days back was being sold at Rs 40-45 per kg in the retail market per kg.
Price of oranges increased from Rs 50 per dozen to Rs 60 per dozen, price of apple from Rs 80 per kg to Rs 100 per kg and guava from Rs 50 per kg to Rs 60 per kg. The survey also showed that prices of sugar, potato, garlic, ginger, apple, orange, cabbage and banana decreased as compared to the rates a few weeks back.
Most of the people complained that the shopkeepers were overcharging prices. Complaints were also registered about the sale of low quality items at A-grade rates. Buyers also complained that the vendors were not giving fruits and vegetables at the prescribed rates, and added that the vendors were selling non-sorted fruits and vegetables at the rates of the sorted.
Shakeel, a buyer at I-10 market, said that he was an associate professor at a public sector university and was getting a handsome salary, but his family was also facing the brunt of ever-increasing prices of essential commodities. While expressing concern over the government's excessive budgetary borrowing, he said that the government's monthly borrowing from banks is rising and the government has totally ignored the negative fallout of huge borrowing on rising inflation which is hitting hard the poor masses.
He said, "The government should control its lavish spending and rein in the leakages from its state-run enterprises, as ultimately, it is the poor masses that finance it through their hard-earn 'tax money' and in shape of higher inflation".