Chicken, vegetable prices continue to soar

Govt fails to restrain inflation genie, citizens reel under steep price hike.

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RAWALPINDI:

The continuous rise in the prices of broiler chicken meat in the market has not stopped in Rawalpindi.

Every day, there is a new rate for live chicken and chicken meat per kilogram, making it impossible for those who cannot afford to buy.

Currently, live chicken is being sold at Rs520 per kilogram and chicken meat at Rs850 rupees per kilogram.

Shops selling live broiler chicken meat are seeing a decline in customers, and shopkeepers are now waiting for customers to arrive.

An owner of a broiler chicken shop in Alahabad Market said that when they purchase chicken at exorbitant rates from the wholesale market, it is impossible to sell it at a lower price.

Buyers Mohammad Saleem, Sadiq, and Shabbir said that buying broiler chicken, whether alive or in meat form, has gone beyond their financial reach.

Meanwhile, in the open market, the prices of vegetables and fruits have also gone out of control.

According to citizens, claims of reducing inflation remain just claims.

Onions are being sold for Rs150-200 per kilogram, potatoes for Rs100, and tomatoes for Rs250 per kilogram.

Cabbage is being sold for Rs80, ginger for Rs720, and garlic for Rs520 per kilogram.

Other vegetables are priced between Rs100 and Rs200 per kilogram.

As for fruits, buying fruit has become out of reach for the poor. Different fruits are being sold at varying rates based on their quality.

In the open market, oranges are priced at Rs200 per dozen, apples at Rs250-300 per kilogram, pomegranates at Rs500 per kilogram, guavas at Rs200 per kilogram, and bananas at Rs200 per dozen.

For the poor, buying broiler chicken meat, vegetables, and fruit has become increasingly difficult.

However, the government's claims to control inflation, with assurances that the inflation rate will soon decrease significantly and drop to single digits, continue.

Meanwhile, the price control system for managing inflation has completely failed.

Under this system, government-approved price lists for live chicken, meat, vegetables, and fruit are issued daily as a formality, with authorities fulfilling their responsibility by simply issuing these lists.

However, shopkeepers and customers in the open market no longer adhere to these government-set prices, effectively ignoring the official rates.