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KARACHI, Aug 22: With Ramazan just round the corner, prices of essential commodities particularly those in demand during the holy month continue to increase.
Only the prices of rice have seen a decline in the wholesale markets during the last few days because the demand for rice in Ramazan remains insipid. However, the impact of this decline in the prices of rice has yet to reach the consumers as the retailers are still charging them exorbitantly.
Price of top quality gram pulse has surged to Rs68-70 per kilo from Rs66 per kilo, while the retail rate of chickpeas has gone to Rs90-95 from Rs83 per kilo. On Aug 1, 2008, chickpeas were being sold at Rs80 per kilo.
The rates of black gram have also been increased to Rs70 per kilo from Rs66 per kilo while it was available at Rs60 per kilo on Aug 1.
Since the demand for gram flour rises manifold in Ramazan,, its price has been increased to Rs72-Rs80 per kilo. Only a week back, it was sold at Rs64 per kilo.
Many retailers are now busy in stock piling of these hot commodities in order to make a windfall in the holy month. Despite procuring these items at lower wholesale rates, the retailers are demanding the highest rates from the consumers.
Another aim to push up the rates to the maximum is to influence rather deceive the government officials during a pre-Ramazan meeting for fixing rates in the price list. The officials without doing proper homework on the current upward movement in prices are likely to succumb before the retailers in fixing the higher rates of various commodities.
Nestle, the maker of Everyday Tea Whitener, has pushed up the rate of one kilo pouch to Rs310 from Rs295, while 400 grams and 40 grams pouches will cost Rs150 and Rs14.
Retailers said that the distributors of Nestle products had also hinted an increase in the rates of Nido Milk before Ramazan.
The chairman of the Karachi Wholesaler Grocers Association (KWGA), Anis Majeed, said that the price of good quality chickpeas hovered between Rs83 and Rs84 per kilo, while black gram was being sold between Rs56-Rs57 per kilo in the wholesale market.
Similarly, the price of gram flour ranges between Rs65-Rs68 per kilo, while the rate of gram pulse is tagged at Rs61 per kilo.
Rice price falls
As far as prices of rice were concerned, he said, rates of most of the varieties had fallen by Rs10 to Rs25 per kilo but this decline was not reflected at the retail level.
He said that rice prices had fallen owing to low demand prospects in Ramazan and due to the arrival of new crop.
According to him, Kernal Basmati is being sold at Rs85 per kilo as compared with Rs110 per kilo a month back. However, in retail markets it is being sold at Rs125 to Rs135 per kilo.
The general secretary of the Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG), Farid Qureishi, said that the wholesale prices of basmati super kernel had declined to Rs110 per kilo in the last few days from Rs120 per kilo while the prices of basmati kernel had fallen to Rs100 a kilo from Rs114 per kilo.
The prices of basmati wind and Irri 9 has plunged to Rs80 per kilo and Rs60 per kilo as compared with Rs90 per kilo and Rs70 per kilo. The rates of basmati tota and sela basmati have also come down to Rs50 per kilo and Rs90 per kilo from Rs55 per kilo and Rs100 per kilo respectively.
When his attention was drawn towards the fact that the retailers were still charging consumers exorbitantly, he said that the retailers had procured rice at higher rates and the situation might continue till the depletion of the old stock.
