November 02, 2006	Thursday	Shawwal 9, 1427

KARACHI, Nov 1: Consumers paid higher prices to buy onion, potato, tomato, ginger, sugar, egg, powder milk etc last month but paid less for the moong pulse, poultry products, garlic and ghee (16kg tin).

A random market survey carried out from October 1 to November 1 revealed an increase of Rs12 per kg in onion, rising to Rs30 from Rs18 earlier. It had peaked to Rs50 per kg soon after the Eid day.

However, a day after it plunged to Rs30 from Rs35 per kg owing to some improvement in supplies from the imported onion, which is arriving from India, Afghanistan and Iran.

Due to 60 per cent damage to the local crop in Sindh caused by torrential rains in August-September many market players have planned to bring 50,000-60,000 tons more from these three countries after an original import order of 40,000-50,000 tons in the last one month to meet the rising demand.

Potato is selling between Rs22-23 per kg as compared to Rs18 per kg owing to slow arrival of potato from Punjab’s cold storages as the new crop from the same province will hit the market by January/December. At Subzi Mandi, potato is selling between Rs18-20 per kg.

The tomato price has declined to Rs25 from Rs30 per kg on October 1. However, a few days back its price had come under pressure, rising to Rs 35 per kg as the Balochistan crop has nearly exhausted. The new Sindh crop will arrive from November 15, but the rains have also caused huge damage and affected its quality. Tomato is selling at Rs20 per kg but retailers are charging higher rates from consumers.

Ginger prices have surged by Rs5 per kg to Rs50 despite ample supplies arriving from frequent imports from China.

Leading packer of powder milk—Nestle--has increased the rates of Nido milk (1 kg pack) to Rs260 from Rs250, while the 400 grams pack now costs Rs115 as compared to Rs112. Everyday tea whitener one kg and 400 gram packs now cost Rs250 and Rs115 as compared to Rs240 and Rs110, respectively.

In case of pulses and rice, there has been confusion in the markets over the rates as many retailers have started charging higher pre-Ramazan rates by violating the official rates fixed in the holy month.

Some retailers are charging Ramazan rates amidst fears of being harassed by the police after reports that the city government will re-start price checking campaign from this month. Many retailers and even wholesalers are reluctant to quote the prevailing markets rates.

Advisor to Karachi Wholesale Grocers Association (KWGA), Anis Majeed said that the city government had called upon the wholesalers and retailers on Thursday to discuss the continuation of price checking campaign as well as the rates of pulses and rice.

However, he said that the wholesalers were still united that they would not sell pulses and rice at control rates, which were fixed in the holy month.

He said moong prices had declined at the wholesale because of its crop arrival (140,000-150,000 tons this year). He said some mash pulse quantities are arriving from Kandhar (Afghanistan) coupled with supplies from Punjab crop, which had stabilised the rates.

However, mash prices in Burma had surged to $810 from $700 per ton last month as India has been heavily buying the commodity.

Masoor prices in Australia had also increased to $510 from $400 per ton as its crop size has been estimated at 50,000 tons this year as compared to 200,000 tons last year. Kabuli Channa is arriving from Burma, Turkey etc and is available between Rs43-63 per kg at the wholesale markets depending on the quality and size.

He said that more than 50 per cent of pulses consumption in Pakistan is met through imports from various countries where prices fluctuate as per demand and supply.

In sugar, he linked the price hike to late crushing by the Punjab millers coupled with imposition of five per cent regulatory duty on import of sugar. He said the importers, who had brought sugar at Rs35.50 per kg from abroad, are now perturbed and are selling under cost.

Poultry bird rates have been on the decline. Convenor Rate Committee of Karachi Wholesalers Poultry Association (KWPA) Kamal Akhtar Siddiqui attributed the decline in rates to slow demand from the consumers who had already made buying in bulk ahead of Eid.

Besides, he said that production of birds had been satisfactory at the farms as the current weather is ideal for birds’ production. He predicted further decline in rates of poultry birds.

However, egg prices have been on the rise because of slight change in the weather coupled with high demand, especially from the school-going children.