KARACHI, March 1: With the current hike in petroleum prices, dealers of essential commodities have initially estimated an increase of paisa 50 to Re1 per kg in the prices of various items, while those dealing in vegetables and poultry forecast a minimum raise of Rs2 to 3 per kg.
After paying higher prices during the last one month on vegetables, pulses, rice, chicken, ghee, cooking oil and tea, the consumers would have to face yet another burden on their incomes after the announcement of new petroleum prices from March 1, as transportation cost would go up.
Chairman, Karachi Wholesalers’ Grocers Group (KWGA), Anis Majeed, initially estimates an increase of paisa 50 to Re1 per kg at the retail level in regular kitchen items after calculating the cost on various phases of transportation of goods--from factory to godowns and then to wholesale markets and retailers.
A random market survey, from Feb 1 to March 1, revealed an increase in the prices of pulses, especially masoor which increased to Rs85 per kg, followed by gram, arhar and mash.
Anis said import price of masoor in Canada and Australia had touched $1,070 per ton while it ranged between $600 and 700 per ton four months back.
Mash is also being imported at a higher rate from Burma and Thailand. Moreover, the international price of arhar has reached $660 per ton from $550 three months back.
Anis Majeed said that gram pulse has been under pressure as the market is abuzz with reports about low production of the commodity, i.e. 500,000 tons this year as compared to 700,000-800,000 tons last year.
In rice, he said exporters are in the receipt of huge orders at higher rates from international buyers, thus there was a price-hike at the domestic level.
Similarly, ghee and cooking oil prices have been increasing frequently in the markets owing to rising palm-olien rates in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The 16kg ghee tin is now priced at Rs1,940 while all branded producers increased the rate for the 8th time in February.
Mohammad Farid Qureishi, General Secretary of Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG), said distributors of a leading brand have been sounding a note of caution about a further increase in prices this month. The ghee distributors, he said, had been informing retailers about the new price of Rs730 for 5kg Dalda ghee as compared to Rs670.
He said all leading tea packers also enhanced the rate of various brands in February owing to rising tea prices in Kenya.
On the poultry side, prices of poultry bird have been surging, despite two positive cases of bird flu in the last one month. General Secretary, Karachi Wholesalers’ Poultry Association (KWPA), Kamal Akhtar Siddiqui, attributed the current price-hike in poultry to the rising demand of the bird after the start of marriage season as supply from farms had been very slow in Muharram until Chehlum.
He said that the increase in petroleum prices would result in a further increase in the price of birds by Rs2 to 3 per kg.
VEGETABLES: The vegetable prices, which had been on the higher side just ahead of general elections owing to damage to various crops in winter, have not yet come down.
The price of ginger has surged to Rs100 per kg from Rs50 per kg while potato price has increased to Rs12 a kg from Rs10.
Onion is selling at Rs12 as compared to Rs10 per kg. Ridge gourd is priced at Rs60 per kg as compared to Rs30-35 per kg.
The price of white gourd is Rs80 per kg as compared to Rs40 per kg. Ladyfinger is available at Rs70-80 per kg as compared to Rs50 per kg.
Haji Shahjehan, President of Karachi Wholesale Vegetable Market, Superhighway, said that transporters carrying vegetables would definitely increase transportation charges as a majority of the commodities are taken on diesel vehicles. However, he said vegetables from the vegetable market to other parts of the city are transported on Suzuki vans, either on petrol or gas.
He said that the recent increase in vegetable prices was a record in the country’s history.
