Ramazan price hike

Prices of all kitchen items, fruits and vegetables jump several folds with the start of the fasting month of Ramazan. This is entirely in line with the simple law of demand and consumers have been taking it in their stride as they find themselves helpless in the face of the ritual profiteering by sellers year after year. Things are no different this Ramazan too as with the advent of the holy month the prices of food items, fruits and vegetables for which there is an increased demand during this month have registered a marked rise.

The irony is, and has been for as long as memory serves, that consumers pay the prices being asked for by sellers though with some murmur of protest. The local administrations issue a price list of essential food items for Ramazan but it has no effect on the actual market transactions. The Karachi commissioner has issued an official price list of essential foodstuffs. This is being violated. The violation is mostly ignored, though sometimes inspection teams conduct raids on retailer shops and they slap fines on those indulging in overcharging, but this off-and-on administrative exercise does not have the desired effect. Food items are being sold at rates much higher than the officially fixed prices. Black gram is being sold for Rs180 a kg against the officially fixed price of Rs150 a kg. Cooking oil is selling at Rs500 a litre even though the government had announced a 10% tax relief on the import of edible oil. Obviously, the tax relief has not been passed on to the consumers. Poultry and mutton too are being sold at prices far higher than the official rates. Consumers are being overcharged for all fruits, as these are essential for breaking the dawn-to-dusk fast.

Retailers shift the blame on wholesalers saying they obtain things at higher prices from the latter and so they sell at higher prices. Traders’ organisations say the official price lists are unrealistic, so they are not followed strictly.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2022.

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