Retailers threaten strike

The Grocery Merchants Association has threatened to observe a complete strike in Rawalpindi and across Punjab against the forced implementation of official rates of grocery items.

The association has criticised the lack of a mechanism for setting market prices of essential grocery items, including pulses, white chickpeas, sugar, flour, and ghee. The merchants have been opposing the official mandate for the last few months to sell food items at retail prices Rs50 less than the wholesale rate.

Traders have threatened to halt the sale of all items at official prices permanently and demanded a meeting with the Punjab chief minister to address the ongoing concerns.

Saleem Pervez Butt, the president of the Central Grocery Merchant Association, expressed frustration over the government's inaction on fixing the price mechanism despite agreements in meetings with concerned officials, including the food minister, food secretary and others.

The provincial secretary of industries, he further said, also submitted recommendations, but the government instead of implementing the agreed-upon measures, had begun imposing hefty fines.

Citing an example, Butt argues that the wholesale market price for chickpeas is Rs410 per kg, but the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner is forcing to sell it at Rs330 per kg. "Similarly, the sugar price is fixed at a meagre profit of Rs3 per kg, while our expenditure on sugar is Rs10 plus the price."

DCs across haven't been calling meetings of Price Control Committees for the last three months, and officials are setting prices without consulting them. The prices are being set at Rs50 less than the wholesale market, he adds.

"We are requesting the DCs to reveal the wholesale dealers selling pulses, gram, ghee, oil, and rice at lower prices, so they can purchase from them and sell at the official fixed price, the association's office-bearer maintained, adding the administration was receiving orders from higher authorities to enforce government prices and otherwise send retailers in jails.

Butt lamented the district administrations for imposing Rs50,000 fines on small grocers. "We cannot sell grocery items at cheap rates after buying at higher rates."