The cost of essential groceries has sharply risen, as rates of almost all daily household staples registered a manifold increase over the past few months. During the weekly survey conducted by Business Recorder here on Sunday, it was noticed that the prices of important kitchen basket of grocery items at major supermarkets in provincial metropolis are steadily escalating. The rates of food commodities like, pulses, flour, rice, ghee, oils, vegetable, chicken meat and various other items of daily use, remained sky-high, during the preceding week.
With inflation crossing during last three to four months, the heat of rising prices the common man is getting tense with each passing day. The impact of the rising prices is being felt both by the buyers and the sellers. Where the buyers find many commodities getting out of their reach, the sellers complain sharp decline in their sales. “The rates of edibles have considerably increased,” exclaimed Abdul Rehman, a wholesale merchant at Rampura market here. He witnessed that the cost of weekly grocery has increased by a third since the democratically elected government came into power in the country, and food inflation is expected to get even worse as a result of poor harvests and rising populations.
Tomato is being sold at Rs 120 per kilogram, which was selling at Rs 70 per kg a few weeks ago, while price of onion also increased at Rs 80 per kilogram. Potato is available at Rs 120 and Rs 100 per kg, against the Rs 40 per kilogram. Ginger is being sold at Rs 240 per kg, while garlic at Rs 120 and Rs 160 per kg and lemon at Rs 160 per kg. Most of vegetables are not available below Rs 60 and 70 per kilogram in market, as peas is selling at Rs 200 per kg, Shimla Mirch at Rs160 per kg, Arvi at Rs60 per kg, cauliflower at Rs 70 per kg, calabash at Rs 60 per kg, lady finger at Rs 80 per kg, kado, bringle, tuari, tarnip at Rs 60 per kg.
The rates of pulses also remained on high side in the wholesale market, as a 49-kg bag of sugar was available at Rs 3,100, which was selling at Rs 2,290, with an increase of Rs 900 per bag. Similarly, prices of high quality rice weighting 49-kg also soared as being sold at Rs 6,500 and Rs 7,100 against Rs5,600, with an increase of Rs 1200 per bag. A sac of Red bean is being sold with various quality from Rs6000-6100 and Rs6,2000, and Dal Maash available at Rs 4,500, Rs 5,000 and Rs 5,300, while Moonge is available at Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,300 per bag weighting 49-kilogram. A 16-kilogram tin of ghee, is available at Rs 2,500 and Rs 2,580, while a 10-kg gallon of cooling oil is available at Rs 1,850 and Rs 1960. A 49-kilogram bag of Sooge, is available at Rs 2,400 against Rs 2150 with an increase of Rs 300 to Rs 350, according to market survey.
Prices of other food grains also increased with increase of Rs 200-100 per 49 kilogram bag, broken rice, weighting 49-kg, is being sold at Rs1650 and Rs1700. Dal masoor, weighting 49-kg bag is available at Rs 4,800, and Rs 4,900, Dal Channa at Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,800 per bag weighting 49-kilogram.
A 20-Kg flour bag has increased at Rs870, which was selling at Rs680 a three month back, while sugar is being sold at Rs 62 per kilogram, against the Rs 52 per kg in previous week. Chicken meat is being sold at Rs250 per kg against the official rate of Rs140 per kg, while live chicken was available at Rs 280 to Rs 300-320. With advent of winter, the prices of eggs also gone up as increased Rs50 per dozen, is available at Rs110 per dozen in retail market. Milk is available at Rs 50, Rs 70 and Rs 80 per litre, and yogurt at Rs 60 and Rs 70 per kilogram.