Food prices: Red meat up, rice and pulses down

City govt issues new rate list, warns against overcharging.

LAHORE:

The city government issued a new rate list for food items on Monday, with substantial increases in the price of red meat but cuts in the prices of rice and pulses.

According to the new rates, traders in Lahore must sell Basmati rice for no more than Rs105 per kg wholesale and Rs110 per kg retail, mong dal for Rs90 per kg (wholesale) and Rs95 per kg (retail), white sugar for Rs52 per kg (wholesale) and Rs54 per kg (retail), milk at Rs60 per litre, yogurt at Rs65 per kg, mutton at Rs500 per kg and beef at Rs250 per kg.

The per kg rate of mutton and beef was earlier set at Rs380 and Rs175, respectively.

The prices of rice and pulses have been cut, while the price of most other items stayed around the same.

According to city government officials, beef and mutton were already being sold at the new prices and the rate list now reflected the true market position.

The prices were set at a meeting chaired by DCO Naseem Sadiq and also attended by trader and consumer representatives. During the meeting, Sadiq said that officers must make sure that shopkeepers are not charging above the fixed prices or hoarding. “Price control magistrates must remain active,” he said.

He told the traders’ representatives that the administration would not allow the sale of water-mixed meat. He asked them to report shopkeepers who broke the rules to city officials.

The meeting was also attended by assistant commissioners, town administrators, the Industries Department district officer, the Labour Department district officer and Akbari Mandi traders.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2013.