ISLAMABAD: Prices of essential kitchen items have witnessed a slight reduction during this week as compared with the previous week, revealed a survey conducted by Business Recorder, here Saturday.

The survey observed a marginal reduction in chicken, eggs, vegetables, wheat flour, sugar, prices while ghee/cooking oil, pulses, spices and other essential kitchen items prices are stable.

B-grade ghee/cooking oil in wholesale market is being sold at Rs2,750 per carton of 12 packs, which in retail is being sold at Rs230 per pack of 900grams.

Price of the best quality ghee/cooking oil increased from Rs1,400 per 5 litre pack to Rs1,440 in wholesale market, which in retail is being sold at Rs1,480 per 5kg against Rs1,440 per 5 litre pack.

During the past two months, best quality ghee/cooking oil prices have witnessed an increase of Rs300 per 5 litre bottle or Rs48 per litre increase, while normal quality ghee-cooking oil brands have witnessed an increase of Rs45 per 900gram pack.

Prices of all the pulses during the week under review remained stable as moong is available at Rs7,200 per 40kg which in retail is being sold at Rs180-200 per kg.

Pulse maash at Rs7,500 per 40kg which in retail is being sold at Rs40 per kg, best quality lentil gram at Rs5,200 per 40kg which in retail is being sold at Rs150 per kg.

Best quality bean lentil at Rs7,500 per 40kg which in retail is being sold at Rs210 per kg, masoor at Rs4,900 per 40kg which in retail is being sold at Rs140 per kg, and best quality whole gram at Rs5,000 per 40kg which in retail is being sold at Rs145 per kg.

According to traders within past two years, lowest quality cooking oil/ghee price has jumped from Rs107 per pack in wholesale market to Rs210 which in retail is being sold at Rs215 per pack.

Giving the causes behind massive increase in B-grade cooking oil prices, the traders said that the majority of masses are unable to purchase top quality cooking oil/ghee brands and they have shifted to cheaper commodity which created demand/supply situation also coupled with profiteering resulted in increasing the B-grade cooking oil prices.

Traders said that during the past two moths, B-Grade ghee/cooking oil prices have come at par with the best quality.

Traders further said that majority of the buyers have started buying 200grams packs of ghee/cooking oil instead of purchasing 5kg tins or one kg packs, which shows purchasing power of the buyers have significantly reduced.

During the week under review, sugar price in the wholesale market remained stable at Rs4,300 per bag which in retail is being sold at Rs90 per kg and rice prices also remained stable at Rs5,700 per bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs175 per kg.

Wheat flour price has also witnessed a slight reduction of Rs20 per 20kg bag from Rs1,350 per bag to Rs1,330 per bag, normal quality wheat flour price from Rs1,300 per bag to Rs1,270 per bag.

Chicken price during the week under review registered a decline of Rs300 per 40kg from Rs7,800 per 40kg to Rs7,500 per 40kg, which in retail are being sold at Rs105 per kg against Rs215 per kg.

Eggs prices in the wholesale market dropped from Rs3,900 per carton to Rs3,850 per carton which in retail are being sold in the range of Rs140 to Rs145 per dozen.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices and firewood remained stable as LPG domestic cylinder of 15kg price is table at Rs,2400 per cylinder, firewood prices at Rs800 per 40kg.

Milk and yogurt prices also remained stable at Rs125 per kg and Rs140 per kg respectively.

A comparison of the prevailing market prices with the prices computed by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has find a serious differences as the PBS has mentioned sugar price at Rs90.22 per kg which in market on average is available at Rs92.5 per kg. Similarly, the PBS has mentioned Dalda ghee/cooking oil price Rs1,468 per 5kg tin while in market it is being sold at Rs1,480 per 5kg tin.

The PBS has mentioned wheat flour price of Rs946.30 per 20kg bag but in market it is available at Rs1,330 per 20kg bag.

The PBS has mentioned chicken price at Rs213 per kg which in market is available at Rs205 per kg, fresh milk price at Rs105.18 per kg while in market it is being sold at Rs125 per kg, cooked daal plate at an average hotel is available at Rs90 per plate against the PBS mentioned price of Rs76.91 per plate, mutton in rural areas of Rawalpindi/Islamabad is available at Rs1,100 per kg while the PBS has mentioned it at Rs996.29 per kg, while in urban areas of the twin cities mutton is being sold at Rs1,250 per kg.

The government-sponsored 20kg wheat flour bag which is available at Rs860 per 20kg bag but it is not available on majority of the shops as well as on the Utility Stores outlets.

It is also observed that a majority of the people are not willing to purchase government-sponsored 20kg wheat flour bag, saying it is of inferior quality and not suitable for consumption.

The survey noted that prices of the majority of vegetables witnessed a decline as tomato price went down from Rs175 per 5kg to Rs150 per 5kg which in retail are being sold at Rs40 per kg against Rs45 per kg, onion price remained stable at Rs200 per 5kg, which in retail are being sold at Rs50 per kg, potato price went up from Rs150 per 5kg to Rs160 per kg, which in retail are being sold at Rs40 per kg.

Ginger price went down from Rs1,050 per 5kg to Rs1,000 per 5kg which in retail market are being sold at Rs280 per kg and garlic prices went down from Rs1,000 per 5kg to Rs850 per 5 kg, which in retail is being sold at Rs220 per kg against Rs240 per kg.

Cauliflower price went up from Rs110 per 5kg to Rs125 per 5kg which in retail is sold at Rs35 per kg against Rs30 per kg, cabbage went down from Rs120 per 5kg to Rs100 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs30 per kg against Rs35 per kg, peas price went up from Rs220 per 5kg to Rs250 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs60 per kg against Rs55 per kg, cucumber price went up from Rs200 per 5kg to Rs240 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs60 per kg against Rs55 per kg, capsicum price went down from Rs400 per 5kg to Rs350 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs85 per kg against Rs95 per kg, brinjal price went up from Rs125 per 5kg to Rs150 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs45 per kg against Rs35 per kg, fresh bean price went down from Rs400 per 5kg to Rs375 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs90 per kg against Rs100 per kg, yam price went down from Rs500 per 5kg to Rs450 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs110 per kg against Rs120 per kg and pumpkin price is stable at Rs200 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs50 per kg.

Best quality banana price went down from Rs130 per dozen to Rs110 per dozen, while normal quality banana is available in the range of Rs70 per dozen to Rs90 per dozen, Pakistani Kala Kilo apple price went up from Rs130 per kg to Rs145 per kg and Iranian Kala Kilo from Rs175 per kg to Rs190 per kg, guava price went up from Rs75 per kg to Rs80 per kg.

Various qualities of oranges are being sold in the range of Rs50-175 per dozen with Redblood Khanpuri shakri malta most expensive at Rs175 per dozen and Kino special at Rs50 per dozen most inexpensive.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021