Prices of essential nutrition items including wheat flour, sugar prices and vegetables have continued on an upward trajectory as revealed by local media reports.
Speaking with a local media outlet, traders said that the government’s efforts to stabilise wheat flour prices by importing as many as three wheat shipments were not yielding any fruit as wheat flour prices were expected to touch the Rs100 per kg mark due to uncontrolled prices.
They said that sugar prices were being affected the same way as the government had announced to import 0.3 million tons of sugar to stabilise prices but no party has yet succeeded in securing the bids despite giving significant incentives by relieving a number taxes.
Last week, importers had urged the government to said that the government had started giving import quotas to businessmen for sugar purchase without waiving sales tax which meant that imported sugar will not make any difference in the local market.
“This way, the government’s efforts aimed at reducing prices in the local market will go in vain.”
According to Business Recorder, the price of wheat flour price jumped from Rs930 per 15kg bag to Rs975 per 15kg bag in the wholesale market, which in retail has reached Rs1,000 per 15kg bag while sugar price increased from Rs4,400 per 50kg bag to Rs4,600 per 50kg bag in the wholesale market, which in retail is being sold in the range of Rs100-105 per kg.
Similarly, egg prices have once again jumped from Rs115 per dozen to Rs125 per dozen in wholesale market, which in retail are being sold at Rs130-135 per dozen against Rs120-125 per dozen.
Chicken prices went up from Rs5,200 per 40kg to Rs5,800 per 40kg, which in retail is being sold at Rs150-160 per kg against Rs140 per kg, while chicken meat is available at Rs250 per kg against Rs230 per kg.
Ginger prices have also touched an all time record high level, which in the wholesale market is being sold at Rs2,700 per 5kg against Rs2,400 per 5kg, while in retail it is being sold at Rs630 per kg against Rs600 per kg.
Garlic prices are stabilised at Rs650 per 5kg, which in retail are being sold at Rs170 per kg.
Tomatoes price has jumped from Rs350 per 5kg to Rs430 per 5kg, which in retail are being sold at Rs90 per kg against Rs80 per kg, and potato price jumped from Rs300 per 5kg to Rs350 per 5kg, which in retail are being sold at Rs80 per kg against Rs70 per kg, and onion price jumped from Rs220 per 5kg to Rs270 per 5kg, which in retail are being sold at Rs55-60 per kg against Rs50 per kg.
Other items showing substantial price hikes include almost all vegetables with spinach being the most affordable at Rs35-40 per kg and peas being the most expensive at Rs175 per kg.
