Sellers mull boycott of fixed-priced grocery items

Open market prices of daily foodstuffs still shockingly high

RAWALPINDI:

Despite the government's announcements, prices of essential grocery items continue to increase.

The huge jump in the prices of pulses in the open market has led to a troublesome situation for both grocers and consumers. The Grocery Merchants Association has decided to boycott the sale of all food items including pulses for which the government has fixed prices.

In the open market, chicken meat is being sold at Rs750 per kg, while eggs are being sold at Rs305 per dozen, mutton at Rs2,300 per kg, beef at Rs1,400 per kg, milk at Rs220 per Liter, curd at Rs240 per kg, yellow split peas at Rs400 per kg, black/ yellow gram at Rs600, white chickpea at Rs420 per kg, ghee at Rs500 per kg and oil is being sold at Rs510 per kg.

Apples are being sold between Rs200 to Rs300 per kg, bananas between Rs120 to Rs150 per dozen, oranges at Rs200 per dozen, sweet lemons between Rs250 to Rs300 per dozen, pears at Rs250 per kg, cantaloupe at Rs120 per kg, Japanese fruit at Rs200 per kg, mangoes between Rs300 to Rs350 per kg, Sundarkhani Grapes at Rs550 per kg and other various grapes at Rs400 per kg.

Grocery Merchants Association President Saleem Pervaiz Butt has said that the official prices of pulses are up to Rs100 higher than the wholesale prices. We cannot buy expensive pulses and sell them at cheap price. He said that the government is not ready to accept any of our demands, we now have no option other than a complete boycott of the sale of official price pulses and commodities.

Saleem said that a meeting of the central council has been called for this week, after which the formal announcement of the boycott will be made.