Prices of milk, chicken, wheat flour and sugar witnessed an increasing trend during this week past against the preceding week, a survey conducted by Business Recorder revealed here on Saturday.
The survey observed that during the week, refined sugar price in wholesales market touched Rs 3,800 per 50 kg bag against Rs 3,650 per bag, packed milk prices including Olpers, Milk Pack and others jumped up from Rs 135 per liter to Rs 150 per liter and chicken prices jumped up from Rs 5,500 per 40 kg to Rs 8,000 per 40 kg. According to wholesalers of wheat flour, the millers have replaced 15kg flour bag with 25kg bag with fixing ex-mill price at Rs 1,350 per bag while in retail market it is being sold at Rs 1,400 per bag.
It was observed that there is a huge gap between the government's fixed prices of vegetables and the prevailing prices in market as the government has fixed onion's price at Rs 44 per kg which in market was being sold at Rs 60 per kg, potatoes were being sold in market at Rs 50 per kg against government's fixed price of Rs 31 per kg, tomatoes at Rs 80 per kg in market against the government fixed price of Rs 61 per kg, similarly the government has fixed chicken price at Rs 215 per kg which in market was being sold at Rs 225 per kg.
The traders while justifying high prices said that they have purchased these goods at high prices from wholesales market, so selling these items at government fixed prices is not profitable, adding that the government fixed prices are never in line with prevailing market prices.
One of the traders remarked, "The government's fixed price of peas is Rs 125 per kg while we are selling peas at Rs 120 per kg."
During the week under review, egg price further reduced from Rs 120 per dozen in wholesales market to Rs 110 per dozen which in retail market was being sold at Rs 120-125 per dozen against Rs 130 per dozen, while price of live chicken in retail market has gone up to Rs 225 per kg against Rs 160 per kg and chicken meat was being sold at Rs 350 per kg against 280 per kg.
Prices of all the major pulses remained stable as fine quality white lentil (Maash) was available at Rs 250 per kg, normal quality lentil price at Rs 220 per kg, fine quality grams pulse was being sold at Rs 200 per kg, normal quality grams were available at Rs 180 per kg, fine quality kidney bean (Lobia) was being sold at Rs 200 per kg, green gram (Moong) at Rs 240 per kg and red fine quality lentil (Masoor) at Rs 200 per kg. No changes were witnessed is ghee-cooking oil prices as normal quality ghee/cooking oil was available at Rs 175 per kg pack, while best quality ghee/cooking oil was being sold at Rs 230 per liter.
Potatoes price reduced from Rs 180 per 5 kg to Rs 150 per 5 kg in wholesales market which in retail market were still being sold at Rs 50 per kg, onions price reduced from Rs 250 per 5 kg to Rs 225 per 5 kg which in retail market were being sold at Rs 60 per kg.