Prices of essential commodities rise in March
Prices of essential commodities showed a mixed trend during March, with prices of 27 commodities registering an increase, 16 registering a decrease, and nine remaining unchanged compared with the prices in February.
This was revealed by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) Retail Price Monitor for March, released in Islamabad on Thursday. FAFEN, a network of 30 civil society organisations working to foster accountability in Pakistan, monitors a total of 52 essential commodities.
FAFEN monitors collected prices of 52 commodities on March 10 at designated retail outlets in 118 towns of 79 districts in all four provinces, according to a press statement.
The 27 commodities that inclined, registered an overall price increase of 4.5 per cent, while the 16 commodities that declined, registered an average price decrease of four per cent. The highest increase was observed in the price of oranges, which registered a hike of 20 per cent in March. The price increase can be attributable to the end of the crop harvesting seasons. Of the commodities which registered a fall in price, onions topped the list with a 12 per cent decline compared with last month. Onion prices have been decreasing since December 2010 and have decreased from an average price of Rs71 per kilogramme in November 2010 to Rs25 per kilogramme in March, according to the report.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2011.
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