Live chicken missing from shops despite price revision

Despite official efforts to regulate market prices, consumers faced rampant overcharging across the city during the past week as vendors continued to ignore government-issued price lists and failed to comply with the mandated sale of live chicken at fixed rates.

The Punjab government had revised the price of live chicken for the first time in over two and a half months, reducing it by Rs13 per kilogram and setting the official rate between Rs384 and Rs398 per kg. However, live chicken was not available for sale in the city.

Instead, sellers offered only chicken meat, charging between Rs590 and Rs700 per kg, while boneless chicken was sold at prices ranging from Rs900 to Rs1,050 per kg, significantly above the approved rates.

The price violations extended to essential vegetables and fruits, many of which were sold at double or even triple the official prices. Potatoes (A-grade), officially priced at Rs45 to Rs50 per kg, were sold for Rs80 to Rs100.

Lower grade potatoes were also priced far higher in the market than the official rates. Onions (A-grade), with a fixed price of Rs40 to Rs45 per kg, were sold for Rs80 to Rs100, while B- and C-grade varieties also saw inflated rates.

Tomatoes saw an official reduction of Rs20 per kg, bringing the price of A-grade tomatoes to Rs36 to Rs40 per kg.

Yet in the markets, they were sold at Rs80 to Rs90 per kg. Garlic (local), priced at Rs152 to Rs160 per kg, was available for Rs150 to Rs250, while the GI variety, fixed at Rs343 to Rs360, was sold between Rs400 and Rs500.

Chinese garlic, officially Rs353 to Rs370 per kg, reached Rs500, and the Harani variety, fixed at Rs220 to Rs230, was sold for up to Rs400.

Both Thai and Chinese ginger, fixed at Rs353 to Rs370 per kg after a Rs20 reduction, were sold between Rs450 and Rs500.

Other vegetables saw similar discrepancies.

Farm cucumbers, fixed at Rs42 to Rs45 per kg, were sold for Rs60 to Rs100. Brinjal, officially Rs47 to Rs50 per kg, was sold at Rs80 to Rs120. Spinach, with an unchanged official price of Rs23 to Rs25, was sold for Rs50 to Rs60.

Capsicum, cauliflower, cabbage, and carrots also showed large price gaps.