01 August 2004	Sunday	14 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

KARACHI, July 31: Burden on consumers has intensified as prices of essential kitchen items in the city increased by an average nine per cent in July as compared to June 2004.

Out of 32 items in the kitchen basket, prices of eight items - onion, tomato, potato, sugar, milk powder, moong, mash and arhar - increased, while poultry products registered a fall. Prices of other items remained unchanged.

Notable increase was seen in onion that became costlier by Rs4 to Rs14 from Rs10 per kg, a monthly survey of July reveals. Potato prices also rose to Rs12 from Rs10 per kg, while tomato became dearer by Rs4 to Rs24 from Rs20 per kg.

Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market vice-president Haji Alimuddin told Dawn that at present the market was waiting for arrival of onion from Balochistan. "Prices may stabilize after 15 days when the NWFP crop hits the market."

The Sindh crop will find its way into the market after two months. Onion is selling at Rs11 per kg in wholesale market.

He said a similar crisis also existed in tomato which was currently being consumed from the Balochistan crop. It is being sold at Rs20 per kg in the wholesale market. The new Sindh crop will arrive in the market after two months.

Potato is arriving from Punjab's cold storages and is being sold at Rs9.50-10 at wholesale stage. He said that some quantities were also being sent to Afghanistan. At present potato prices are under pressure because only Punjab is supplying the commodity.

Except for gram pulse, whose price fell by Rs2 per kg to Rs28 from Rs30 per kg, other pulses like masoor, moong, mash and arhar depicted a rising trend in July.

Moong price rose to Rs32 from Rs34 followed by a rise in mash rates to Rs34 from Rs30 per kg, while arhar price registered a rise of Re1 to Rs35 from Rs34.

Holding of stocks by millers coupled with hoarding of stocks on low sugarcane crop prospects for the new crushing season have become a combine factor to push sugar prices up to Rs22 at retail level from Rs19 per kg.

Nestle had increased the price of Nido (1000 gm pack) to Rs230 from Rs215, Karachi Retail Grocers Group general-secretary Farid Qureishi said.

On tea prices, he said that only Tapal had reduced the rate by Rs1-2 per pack of various quantities, while Unilever kept the prices unchanged.

Stability was seen in the prices of poultry products. Live bird price dropped to Rs60 from Rs68 per kg. Its meat price fell to Rs100 from Rs120 per kg last month. Improved supplies from farms also resulted in drop of egg prices to Rs34 from Rs36 per dozen.

Other items had not registered any change in their rates due to improved supplies from the producing areas and satisfactory stock situations in the market.