May 29, 2002	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 16,1423

KARACHI, May 28: Some manufacturers of toilet soap have raised the prices by Re1 to Rs2 per cake, while others may follow the suit.

According to Secretary General, Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG), Farid Qureishi, manufacturer of Lux has recently increased the price of 95 gram pack to Rs15 from Rs 14, while the 135 gram carries new price tag of Rs 22 from Rs 20.

He said the new Safeguard soap of 75 gram can now be purchased at Rs21 as compared to Rs19. He said distributors of other soap manufacturing companies have also intimated an increase in prices of almost same amount in coming weeks.

He said distributors had not given any reason of the price increase.

Farid termed the price hike by the manufacturers as a pre- budget jolt on the consumers’ monthly expenditure.

The Chairman, Pakistan Soap Manufacturers Association (PSMA), M. Yaqub Karim attributed the price surge in toilet soap to increase in transportation cost as a result of diesel price hike by 17.2 per cent in last fortnight.

Besides rising transportation cost, the price of tallow, a basic raw material used in soap manufacturing, in international markets have also gone up to $380 per ton from $350 per ton in the last few days.

Prices of laundry soaps are also expected to go up following increase in palm fatty acid prices in world markets to $290 per ton from $245 per ton combined

with rise in transportation cost, he said adding that the price

of a carton of laundry soap (72 cakes) will go up by Rs10-15 per carton.

Industrialists of household products, under the umbrella of various associations, have already forecast a price flare-up in view of increase in oil prices on May 15.