PESHAWAR: Prices of essential food commodities including vegetables, live chicken/ meat, pulses, sugar, flour, fruits and others remained high in local retail market, according to a weekly survey conducted by Business Recorder here on Sunday.

The prices of vegetables are sky-high in the local market as onion is being sold at Rs250/kg, while ginger is available at Rs420/kg and garlic at Rs400/kg in. However, the price of tomato is reasonable as it is available at Rs50-60 per kg in market.

Cucumber was being sold at Rs40/- per kilo, while green chilli was available at Rs 150-180/- per kilo whereas a one-kilogramme lemon priced at Rs 120-150/- and a bundle of radish was available at Rs 100-120/-, the survey noted.

Peas were being sold at Rs80-100/- per kg, capsicum at Rs150/- per kg, tinda at Rs80/- per kg, arvi at Rs150/- per kg, cabbage at Rs80/- per kg, cauliflower at Rs60/- per kg, bitter gourd at Rs120/- per kg, long gourd at Rs80/- per kg, bringle at Rs60/- per kg, turnip at Rs 80-100/- per kg, red-coloured potatoes at Rs50-60/- per kg while white-coloured potatoes at Rs40/- per kg.

Is anyone available to check the overcharging by the shopkeepers, asked Moeed Khan, a buyer. Talking to this scribe in the local vegetable market, he urged the provincial caretaker government and local administration to take serious notice against the charging of self-imposed prices and provide relief to already inflation-stricken masses.

Price of live chicken/ meat remained unchanged, as the rate per kilogram has decreased at Rs365/kg in the retail market, the survey observed.

Similarly, price of farm eggs also remained firm in the local market as they were available at Rs300/dozen and Chinese eggs were being sold at Rs400/dozen and hen eggs at Rs500/dozen.

Likewise, the price of beef skyrocketed as butchers were openly defying the official price and charged consumers with self-imposed rates.

The survey noted beef without bone is being sold at Rs 800-850/kg and with bone at Rs700/kg- against the official fixed price of Rs370/kg due to lack of price checking mechanism.

Likewise, the mutton was being sold at Rs1800-2000/kg in the local market.

Prices of flour also remained sky-high in the wholesale and retail markets, the survey noticed.

A 20-kg bag of fine flour was available at Rs2200 while 20-kg mixed flour being sold at Rs2100 while 20-kg flour bag was available at government price-control shops and subsidized Atta sale points in the city at Rs1700 to Rs1800 in the wholesale market whereas some buyers complained about unavailability of flour at these sale points on subsidized rates in many areas in the city.

The fine and mixed flour is being sold at Rs120-130/kg and Rs150 /kg in the retail market, the survey added.

Buyers have continuously complained about overcharging by shopkeepers in wholesale and retail markets in absence of price-checking by the authorities concerned.

Similarly, the survey noted pulses/food grains remained unchanged in the local market. A good quality (sela) price is being sold Rs320-300/- per kg while low –quality rice was available at Rs 270-280 and 290/- per kg, dal mash at Rs400/- per kg, dal masoor at Rs280/- per kg, dal chilka (black) Rs260/- per kg, dal chilka (green) Rs220/- per kg, moonge at Rs240/- per kg, dhoti dal at Rs350/- per kg, dal channa at Rs280/- per kg, white lobiya at Rs220/240 per kg, gram flour (baisen) at Rs400- per kilogramme, the survey said.

Likewise, the prices of different cooking oil and ghee remained on higher side in the local market, as no change and increase was witnessed in the previous week as compared to preceding week.

According to the survey, Afghanistan-imported red-apple is being sold at Rs 250-300/- per kg, golden-coloured apple was available at Rs200/- per kg, pomegranate at Rs 200-250/- per kg, guava at Rs150/- per kg, orange at Rs150-200 per dozen, fruiter at Rs100-120 per dozen, Kinnow at Rs150-200 per dozen, banana at Rs 90-100/- per dozen.

Meanwhile, the bakery owners and sweet sellers have also increased rates of confectionery items and sweets owing to rising prices of maida (Fine flour).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023