By Aamir Shafaat Khan
KARACHI, March 6: The month of February saw no let-up in price-hike as prices of wheat flour, fresh milk, ghee and cooking oil, some pulses and vegetables and some rice varieties registered upward movement.

On Sunday, the decision of Dairy Farmers Association (DFA) of Karachi to raise milk prices to Rs25 from Rs23 per litre followed by curd to Rs34 from Rs32 per kg would further shake up the daily as well as monthly expenditures of the consumers.

A monthly market survey (from February 1 to March 1) revealed an increase in price of flour (atta No.2.5) to Rs 16 per kg from Rs 12-13 per kg on February 1, while fine atta flared up to Rs 17 per kg from Rs15 per kg. The Ashrafi atta 10 kg bag was now tagged at Rs155 as compared to Rs145 a month back.

The 100 kg bag of wheat was now selling at Rs1,200-1,250 as compared to Rs1,120-1,130 on February 1. The price of 80 kg bag of atta No 2.5 has peaked to Rs1,150 as compared to Rs975 on February 18, showing a rise of Rs175.

In absence of any check on price, clever meat merchants were enjoying the heyday of their life by demanding Rs220-240 per kg for mutton as compared to Rs180-200 per kg while beef sellers were selling the meat with bones (bachia) at Rs100- 120 per kg as compared to Rs90 per kg.

Meat sellers were still trumpeting the old tune of shortage of live animals, export of meat and live animals but senior officials of federal, provincial and city governments had no time to find out the actual reasons for the price hike.

In pulses, moong (chilka black) prices shot up to Rs26 from Rs24 per kg while mash prices had surged to Rs24 from Rs22 per kg. Gram pulse No 1 quality prices increased by Re1 to Rs25 per kg from Rs24 per kg, while No 2 quality did not change at Rs22 per kg.

Mung washed prices No 1 and No 2 qualities prices rose to Rs28 and Rs30 per kg from Rs20 and Rs25 per kg. The price hike in pulses by shopkeepers seemed to be an artificial one to make windfalls when demand shot up owing in last days of Ashura.

However, price of masoor washed No 1 and No 2 qualities fell to Rs24 and Rs28 per kg from Rs32 and Rs34 per kg. Arhar prices were intact at Rs32 and Rs36 per kg for No 1 and No 2 qualities.

Ginger prices moved up to Rs80-100 per kg depending on the quality from Rs40 per kg a month back. Its wholesale price were hovering between Rs70-80 per kg as compared to Rs22-24 per kg on February 1. Traders said that ginger arrivals from China has slowed down due to higher prices. Garlic prices remained pegged at old levels of Rs40 per kg.

In rice, high quality basmati kernal prices touched to Rs45 per kg from Rs40 per kg while Irri-6 prices depicted a rise to Rs16 from Rs12 per kg. Irri 9 prices also rose to Rs22 from Rs18 per kg.

The price of 16 kg ghee tins had gone up by Rs20-30 per tin. A brand of 16 kg ghee tin was selling at Rs900 per tin as compared to Rs880 last month. Another brands, which were selling at Rs890 earlier, was being sold at Rs920 per tin.

Similarly, a brand of loose ghee, being sold from the 16 kg packs, cost Rs56 per kg as compared to Rs58 per kg, while another brand was being retailed at Rs60 per kg as against Rs58. Likewise, the price of cooking oil in same tin packs had also surged.

Besides other reasons in price hike, retailers and wholesalers can also be blamed in pushing up the prices of such items in the last days of Muharram owing to phenomenal increase in demand.

The price hike in wheat flour, milk, meat, rice and pulses had put up a straight extra burden of Rs500-1,000 on monthly expenditure budget depending on the size of the family members.

Top officials of both Sindh and City governments were least bothered about the consumers' grievances and not ready to take stock of the situation and check the markets. The city government, for the last two months, had been clamouring for the magisterial powers for their deputy district officers (DDOs) from the Sindh government to maintain a check on price.

The City government had sought magisterial powers for its official after Ramazan but so far, the Sindh government had not taken any notice of the city government's demand, leaving the poor consumers at the mercy of retailers and wholesalers to fleece them with impunity.

The public is really afraid and critical about the rising trend of prices by the shopkeepers of mutton, beef, milk, wheat flour, rice, pulses and other items, but both the governments are not ready to pay any heed to the alarming situation and still watching the situation as a silent spectator.

Coming back to prices, onion rates dropped to Rs10-12 from Rs14-15 per kg due to frequent supplies from the new Sindh crop. Persistent supplies from Sindh caused a price fall in tomato prices to Rs10 from Rs12-14 per kg while potato prices remained intact at Rs7 to Rs8 per kg, thanks to swift arrivals from Punjab's new crop.

Improved supplies from mills kept sugar prices unchanged at Rs18 per kg. Broiler live bird prices fell to Rs42 from Rs48 per kg. It was selling at Rs68 per kg on January 1.

Poultry meat prices declined to Rs75 per kg from Rs82 per kg while on January 1, it ranged between Rs110-112 per kg. Egg prices also plunged to Rs18- 19 from Rs32 per dozen on February 1.

Daily Times