ISLAMABAD: The prices of essential kitchen items have witnessed a mixed trend during this week past against the previous week, revealed a survey carried out by Business Recorder, here on Saturday.
During the survey, traders told this correspondent that prices of essential kitchen items, following a reduction in petrol and high speed diesel oil price on July 16, had started a declining trend but owing to the political crisis, the prices of all the essential kitchen items as well as other daily use items within the past two weeks have witnessed an upward trend. The survey observed an increase in rice and packed milk prices, while the prices of sugar, chicken, ghee-cooking oil and wheat flour witnessed decline. Tea, spices, and pulses’ prices remained stable.
The survey observed a reduction in chicken price as it went down from Rs10,000 to Rs8,400 per 40kg in the wholesale market, which in retail, is being sold at Rs260/270 per kg against Rs300 per kg, while chicken meat price went down from Rs475 per kg to Rs440 per kg. Eggs prices witnessed no change which are available at Rs5,700 per carton, while in retail, eggs are being sold at Rs200 per dozen.
Wheat flour prices witnessed a slight reduction as the best quality wheat flour price in the wholesale market went down from Rs1,375 per 15kg bag to Rs1,365 per bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs1,390 per bag against Rs1,400 per bag and the normal quality wheat flour bag price went down from Rs1,340 per 15kg bag from Rs1,310 per bag which in retail is being sold at Rs1,350 per bag against Rs1,370 per 15kg bag.
The Punjab government sponsored wheat flour is available at Rs950 per 20kg bag and all the registered retailers are getting 25 wheat flour bags daily. Sugar price went up slightly from Rs4,180 per bag to Rs4,200, which in retail is being sold at Rs95 per kg against Rs90 per kg.
Rice prices witnessed an increase as the best quality Basmati Rice price went up from Rs11,500 per bag to Rs11,800 per 50kg bag which in retail is being sold at Rs310 per kg against Rs300 per kg, normal quality Basmati Rice from Rs8,500 per 50kg to Rs9,700 per 50kg bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs265 per kg against Rs260 per kg, while Broken Basmati rice price is stable at Rs5,500 per 50kg bag which in retail is being sold at Rs170 per kg against Rs160 per kg.
Ghee and cooking oil prices witnessed slight reduction as B-Grade ghee/cooking oil price went down from Rs6,300 per carton to Rs6,000 per carton. Prices of the best quality cooking oil-ghee brands such as Dalda, Sufi, and others also started going down as Dalda ghee/cooking oil prices went down from Rs2,850 per 5kg pack to Rs2,750 per 5kg pack.
According to an analysis of the BR surveys of the past three years, the prices of the best quality ghee/cooking oil such as Dalda, Sufi, and Shan witnessed an increase of Rs420 per kg as it went up from Rs200 per kg to Rs620 per kg, B-grade cooking oil/ghee price increased from Rs120 per pack to Rs520 per pack reflecting an increase of Rs400 per pack of 900 grams. No changes were witnessed in the price of mustard oil which is stable at Rs500 per kg.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022