Sellers arbitrarily hike prices of milk, dairy products
After incessant increase in prices of petroleum products, retailers and sellers have announced to increase prices of milk, yoghurt and meat in coming days.
The sellers said that the price of milk and yoghurt will be increase on July 4 or July 5 while meat sellers said that they will increase prices after Eidul Azha.
Retailers said that the milk price will be jacked up from Rs150 per kg to Rs160 per kg and the price of yoghurt from Rs170 to Rs180 per kg.
Leaders of milk sellers’ association Khawaja Khawar and Shaukat Gujjar said that the prices of buffalo, fodder and straw has increased by 100 per cent in the last three months.
They said that a buffalo is currently priced between Rs0. 25 million to Rs0.5 million and the transportation from the dairy colonies to the city has also increased due to the rising prices of petroleum products.
Butchers have decided to increase prices of mutton to Rs1500 per kg, beef meat with bone at Rs900 and without bone meat at Rs1,000 after Eidul Azha.
Butchers’ Union Vice-President Faisal Qureshi said the prices of livestock has increased by up to 40 per cent and they have no option but to increase the price of meat.
On the other hand, the steady rise of the dollar and the sharp rise in prices of petroleum products have begun to hurt consumers as prices of all daily use items including flour, sugar, ghee, pulses, meat and milk continue to skyrocket in Rawalpindi.
Prices of daily use commodities are now rising almost with each passing day as regulators and price control magistrates have failed to enforce official rates, leaving the citizens at the mercy of shopkeepers, who charge at their whims. Sasta and Sunday bazaars and utility stores have also become centres of inflation, where the price of everything has jumped.
Bakery shops have also increased the prices of all products by 25 per cent while multinational companies have also increased the prices of detergent powders, shampoos, shaving creams, toothpaste, all types of baby milk and pampers.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2022.