Consumers endure persisting food overpricing

Official poultry rate reduction fails to benefit citizens

LAHORE:

Shopkeepers across the city continued to exploit consumers of food items on Sunday as the newly established Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) struggles to assert control.

Most items were offered for sale at well above the government's fixed rates. A citywide price survey revealed major inconsistencies.

Poultry prices, officially slashed this week, showed no benefit to buyers. While the live bird rate was lowered to Rs284–298 per kg, shopkeepers refused to comply. Chicken meat, listed at Rs432 per kg, sold between Rs500 and Rs550, and boneless cuts touched Rs750.

Vegetable stalls told a similar story. Potatoes, fixed at Rs80–85 per kg, were sold at Rs140. Onions, set at Rs88, fetched Rs130. Tomatoes - officially Rs175 per kg - were sold at an eye-watering Rs400. Imported garlic and ginger remained among the most inflated, reaching Rs600 and Rs900 per kg, respectively, far beyond the notified prices. Greens and seasonal vegetables offered little comfort. Spinach, zucchini, and capsicum all rose sharply, while only a handful of items such as pumpkin and ladyfinger showed modest declines that hardly eased household budgets.

Fruits were no exception to the chaos. Apples crossed Rs500 per kg despite an official cap of Rs320. Guavas, pomegranates, and dates all saw steep hikes, with premium dates touching Rs2,000 per kg. Bananas, grapes, and other fruits followed the same inflated trend.

"The government keeps forming new authorities with old habits - PERA is just another nameplate on a broken system," said a frustrated consumer, Riasat Ali. "Price lists are printed for decoration, not implementation. Until officials leave their offices and visit markets, profiteers will keep winning," remarked a local trader association member, Muhammad Hanif.

"Every week, the administration claims a crackdown is coming, yet every week, prices climb higher. People have stopped believing in their promises," said a shopper at Township Market.