Grocers refuse to sell sugar at Rs70/kg

Demand govt to provide commodity at Rs65/kg if it wants official rate implemetned

RAWALPINDI: The grocers association of Rawalpindi has refused to sell sugar at the rates fixed by the Rawalpindi government, citing that they could not bear loss by implementing government's orders.

The Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anwarul Haq had set per kilogramme price of sugar at Rs70. However, the grocers turned it down and announced selling the essential commodity in Rs81 per kilogramme.

“How can we sell sugar at cheaper rates when we were getting it high prices from wholesalers,” Karyana Merchant Association (KMA) President Pervaiz Butt said this while talking to The Express Tribune on Saturday.

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The official said that all grocers would sell the product for Rs70 per kg only if the government ensured its supply for Rs65 per kg. Apart from this, citing the same reason, KMA has also rejected the official rates of other commodities such as lentils.

Butt said that the district government had set the price of split chickpea lentil at Rs110 per kg while the wholesalers were supplying it in Rs130 per kg.

Subsequently, the market committee officials said that they would fix up to four shops in each market that would sell sugar at the official price. They assured of making an uninterrupted supply of the item from the sugar mills. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2020.