ISLAMABAD: Prices of essential kitchen items especially sugar, rice, eggs, mutton, beef, and cooking oil/ghee have witnessed an increase during this week past as compared with the previous week, revealed a survey conducted by Business Recorder, here on Saturday.

The survey revealed sugar price has once again crossed Rs5,000 mark in wholesale market, which in retail is being sold at Rs110 per kg, eggs price went up from Rs4,250 per carton to Rs4,550 per carton, which in retail is being sold at Rs165 per dozen against Rs155 per dozen.

However, chicken price went down from Rs7,300 to Rs6,800 per 40kg in wholesale market, while in retail market, chicken is being sold at Rs180 per kg against Rs200 per kg and chicken meat is being sold at Rs320 per kg against Rs340 per kg.

Usually in summer season, chicken remain in the range of Rs4,500 to Rs5,000 per 40kg level and eggs prices remain in the range of Rs70-90 per dozen but since past summer the chicken price has never reduced from Rs6,500 per 40kg level and eggs prices are selling above Rs150 per dozen.

No variations were witnessed in cooked food items at average hotels as cooked vegetable plate price is available at Rs120, cooked daal plate at Rs120, chicken haleem plate price at Rs210 per plate, curry plate rate at Rs140, cooked chicken plate at Rs250, qeema plate at Rs260, and roti at Rs12.

Ghee and cooking oil prices were increased by the producers on June 26, which now has been passed on the end consumers as a result best quality ghee/cooking oil is being like Dalda ghee/cooking oil retail price has jumped from Rs1,620 per 5 litre tin to Rs1,720 per 5 litre tin.

B-grade ghee/cooking price has once against jumped from Rs3,500 per 16 pack carton to Rs3,800 per carton, which in retail is being sold at Rs255-260 per 900gram pack against Rs250 per pack.

Since December 2020, best quality ghee/cooking oil price has witnessed an increase of Rs110 per kg from Rs250 per kg to Rs360 per kg, while B-grade ghee/cooking oil price increased by Rs90 per pack of 900 grams from Rs160 to Rs250 per pack.

Wheat flour price has witnessed a slight increase as it went up from Rs1,120 per 20kg bag to Rs1,130 per 20 kg bag in the wholesale market, while in retail market it is being sold at Rs1,150 per 20kg bag against Rs1,140 per 20kg bag.

The government sponsored subsidised wheat flour is not being supplied in the open market but only limited to Utility Stores outlets at Rs860 per 20kg bag.

The survey observed no changes in sugar price, which is available at Rs4,750 per 40kg, while in retail market, it is being sold at Rs105 per kg.

No changes were observed in packed milk prices such as Milk Pak and Olper, which is available at Rs42.5 per pack and litre pack at Rs160 per pack.

Fresh milk and yogurt prices also remained unchanged at Rs140 per kg and Rs150 per kg respectively.

Prices of various brands of rice witnessed an increase as best quality Basmati rice price jumped from Rs5,800 per 40kg bag to Rs6,800 per 40kg bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs180 per kg against Rs170 per kg, while normal quality rice brands are being sold at Rs80 per kg to Rs120 per kg.

Pulses prices witnessed an increasing trend as maash at Rs8,600 per 40kg bag against Rs8,200 per 40kg, which in retail is being sold at Rs240 per kg against Rs230 per kg, best quality lentil price went up from Rs5,000 per 40kg to Rs5,350 per 40kg, which in retail is being sold at Rs160 per kg against Rs140 per kg.

Best quality bean lentil at Rs8,400 per bag against Rs8,000 per 40kg bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs230 per kg against Rs200 per kg, masoor at Rs5,300 per 40kg bag against Rs5,000 per 40kg, which in retail is being sold at Rs150 per kg, while best quality whole gram price jumped from Rs5,000 per 40kg to Rs5,500 per 40kg bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs160 per kg against Rs130 per kg.

However, moong pulse price in wholesale market reduced from Rs8,600 per 40kg to Rs6,500 per 40kg, which in retail is being sold at Rs170 per kg against Rs240 per kg.

A comparison of the prevailing market prices with the prices computed by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) revealed serious differences as PBS has mentioned sugar price at Rs100.65 per kg while in market on average sugar is available at Rs110 per kg, smilarly, PBS mentioned Dalda ghee/cooking oil price Rs1,576.23 per 5kg tin while in market is being sold Rs1,720 per 5kg tin. The PBS mentioned wheat flour price of Rs1,122.72 per 20kg bag but in market it is available at Rs1,150 per 20kg bag. Fresh milk price at Rs110.60 per kg while in market it is being sold at Rs140 per kg, cooked daal plate at average hotel is available at Rs120 per plate against PBS mentioned price of Rs79.88 per plate, mutton in rural areas of Rawalpindi, Islamabad is available at Rs1,250 per kg while PBS has mentioned it at Rs1,110.07 per kg, while in urban areas of the twin cities mutton is being sold at Rs1,360 per kg. PBS has mentioned beef with bones price at Rs536.78 while it is being sold in the range of Rs600/650 per kg while boneless beef is available at Rs750 per kg.

The survey noted an increasing trend in the prices of vegetables as potato price went down from Rs230 per 5kg to Rs200 per 5kg, which in retail are still being sold at Rs48-50 per kg against Rs55 per kg, tomatoes price went up from Rs175 per 5kg to Rs200 per 5kg in wholesale market, which in retail are being sold at Rs50 per kg against Rs45 per kg, onion price also went up from Rs140 per 5kg to Rs190 per 5kg, which in retail are being sold at Rs50 per kg against Rs40 per kg.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021