LAHORE, Oct 10: The Lahore Karyana Merchants Association on Wednesday offered to cut retailers’ profit by 50 per cent if the government made wholesalers reduce their profit by 25 per cent, as directed by the Supreme Court.

The offer came at a meeting of the association, chaired by president Rao Muhammad Akram.

The participants demanded the government should stop arresting retailers on the pretext of overcharging and concentrate on real causes of price hike.

They said the wholesalers were selling ghee, sugar and pulses at exorbitant rates to retailers, forcing them to sell these items at corresponding high rates. Since the wholesalers were invisible, the retailers were left to bear the brunt, they said.

The government machinery should ensure supply of these items at reduced rates and the retailers were ready to reduce their profit margin from current 10 per cent to five per cent, they said. — Staff Reporter