Rawalpindi traders defy official rates

Continue to sell grocery and food items at open market rates

RAWALPINDI:

The traders and shopkeepers in Rawalpindi are continuing to sell grocery and food items at open market rates instead of prices set by the district administration.

The dispute over a price mechanism occurred before Ramazan after all business sectors including grocery, dairy, meat, bread, vegetables and fruits rejected the prices set by the deputy commissioner, calling the official prices a serious joke.

The traders are of the view that the DC office has set new prices for essential commodities, which were not even three years ago. Now due to an increase in the value of the US dollar and fuel prices, all items have become expensive by 500%.

Shopkeepers are openly selling items like pulses, rice, gram, milk, gram flour, meat and bread at open market rates while defying the DC rates.

A comparison of both rates shows that the official price of white chickpeas is Rs325 per kg but it is being sold at Rs450 per kg in the open market. Similarly, the DC rate of black chickpea is Rs240 per kg and Rs350 per kg in the open market, basin (DC rate Rs245, open market Rs320 per kg), red lentil (DC rate Rs245, open market Rs330 per kg), groundnut pulse (DC Rs290, open market Rs340 per kg), red lentil (DC rate Rs310, open market Rs360 per kg), urad bean pulse (DC rate Rs490, open market Rs520 per kg), basmati good quality rice (DC rate Rs300, open market rate Rs400 per kg), eri tota rice (DC rate Rs155, open market Rs200 per kg), open milk ( DC rate Rs170, open market Rs200 per litre), yoghurt (DC rate Rs200, open market Rs220 per kg), mutton (DC rate Rs1,600 per kg, open market Rs2,200 per kg), beef (DC rate Rs800, open market Rs1,200 per kg), bread (DC rate Rs20, open market Rs30), and naan (DC rate Rs25, open market Rs35).

DC Hassan Waqar Cheema has left the prices of green chilli, sugar, flour, ghee, oil and juices to be decided by the open market.

Terming the DC rates a joke, the Grocery Merchant Association president Saleem Pervez Butt says that the sale of all those items, whose prices are determined by the grocers, have been stopped until further notice.

Khawar Gujjar, the vice president of Gawala Union, says that the purchase price of a single buffalo has reached from Rs250,000 to Rs700,000, and the fodder price has jumped by 500%. “We are silent keeping in view the respect of Ramazan but will increase the per litre milk price to Rs220 and yoghurt to Rs240 after Eidul Fitr.

Shafiq Qureshi, the president of the Nanbai Association, says that the government does not make flour, gas, electricity and petrol cheaper, but exerts pressure on them to reduce the bread price. At present, a sack of flour has reached Rs13,200 and a sack of fine flour has touched Rs14,500, he said, adding the prices of bread and naan are being increased by Rs5 in the holy month. Shafique said the general council’s meeting has been called in which the date for increasing the bread rate would be decided.

Arshad Qureshi, the vice chairman of Meat Union, claimed that the prices of mutton and beef are as of 2010 and suggested the administration set today's prices as they couldn’t sell meat at cheaper rates.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2024.