KARACHI, Feb 14: The consumers have received a pre-election setback as leading producers of ghee, cooking oil and branded tea pushed up rates on Thursday.

One of the leading ghee and cooking oil producers had earlier announced an increase in the rate of one kg pouch of ghee to Rs134 from Rs123, followed by an increase in the price of oil to Rs136 from Rs125 per kg in January.

This is the eighth increase in the price made by the leading company since September 2006.

In January, all producers of branded ghee and cooking oil had increased the rate of its brands by Rs9-11 per kg, respectively.

An official in the Dalda Foods said the price of five-kg ghee tin had been increased to Rs670 from Rs615 while five litres edible oil tin price had been jacked up to Rs680 from Rs625 in January this year.

In September 2006, the five-kg ghee tin was available at Rs395. It has been noticed that Dalda takes a lead in increasing prices while others follow the suit.

Former chairman of Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA), Amjad Rasheed, said that palm olien rate was now being quoted at Rs3,800 per maund (37.23 kgs) while soyabean oil price had surged to Rs4,400 per maund.

In mid-January, palm olien and soyabean oil rates were quoted at Rs3,560 and Rs4,000 per maund, respectively.

Palm olein rate in world market is now quoted at $1,190 per ton (C&F Karachi) as compared to $1,160 in mid-January. Soyabean oil price is now quoted at $1,375 per ton as compared to $1,217. The C&F price of imported RBD palm olein was $465 in July 2006.

He said palm olien rates had declined for two to three days only, but these have again started climbing. Besides, the losing value of Pakistan rupee against the dollar is also making imports costlier.

He said that there might be a shortage of ghee and cooking oil in May or April as importers are placing low future orders for palm olien imports.

He added the officials of the Federal Food Committee (FFC) would meet the PVMA and solvent extractors on Feb 20 to discuss the crisis in the edible oil industry.

In tea, the makers of Lipton Yellow Label have enhanced the rate of 100, 200, 400, 500 and 1,000 gram packs to Rs35, Rs70, Rs145, Rs155 and Rs299 from Rs32, Rs64, Rs130, Rs150 and Rs270, respectively.

The Lipton Yellow Label tea bag (100 bags) is now priced at Rs159 from Rs145 while Supreme 250 gram pack now sells at Rs72 as compared to Rs65.

The price of Tapal tea bag (50 bags) packet has surged to Rs80 from Rs75 while 100 bag pack price now comes to Rs159 as compared to Rs145.

Branded tea packers, who are also members of the Pakistan Tea Association (PTA), had earlier alarmed about an increase in the prices following rising Kenyan tea prices after post-presidential election violence, low crop output of Kenyan tea and high demand of tea in European countries.