KARACHI: The government has yet to notify the gas tariff cut for tandoors despite taking the decision on July 31. As a result, consumers have yet to get any price relief in various varieties of roti.

Roti makers said they were likely to pay enhanced gas bill of July 2019 as the decision to reduce gas tariff would first go to the federal cabinet for approval and then it would be notified.

The government on July 1, 2019 had increased gas tariff for tandoors to Rs1,283 mmbtu for consuming gas of over 300 cubic metres from Rs980 mmbtu, but later on decided to revert it to pre-October 2018 rate of Rs700.

Likewise, the rates for smaller tandoors were also approved for reduction to Rs110 per mmbtu for 50 cubic metres, Rs220 for 100 cubic metres and Rs300 for 200 cubic metres instead of existing Rs121 per mmbtu, Rs300 per mmbtu and Rs 553 per mmbtu, respectively.

In October 2018, when the government had increased the gas tariff to Rs980 from 700 mmbtu, the owners of various roti varieties’ makers were quick to increase the prices to Rs12 from Rs10 per roti followed by Rs35-40 for sheermal and taftan from Rs32. Chapatti price was enhanced to Rs8 from Rs7.

A tandoor owner in the Bohrapir area, Tariq Mian, said some tandoor operators had passed on the impact of Oct 2018 tariff hike to the consumers in 2019. Those tandoor owners, who had not raised the prices in 2018, had curtailed the weight of roti, naan, taftan and sheermal.

In Karachi, a number of tandoor owners had maintained the rate of naan at Rs10 after reducing its weight to 160 grams from Rs180 grams. In case of sheermal and taftan, the weight had been maintained at 250 grams, but the quantity of ghee and milk had been compromised. Chapatti weight was maintained at 150-160 gram, but it had been reduced by some tandoor owners, said Mr Mian.

The price of 16kg ghee tin is Rs2,800-3,000 as against Rs2,300 a year ago while fine atta price is Rs43 as against Rs37 per kilo in April 2019 followed by hike in sugar price, which is now selling at Rs72 per kg as compared to Rs55 in January 2019, he added.

The rate of imported 25kg bag of full-cream milk powder is Rs12,200 as compared to the past year’s rate of Rs6,000-8,000, which has increased due to massive rupee devaluation against the dollar, he said.

Owner of a tandoor at Ranchhore Line, Mian Salman Arain, said tandoor owners would pay the July bill at rate of 1,283 mmbtu owing to delay in implementation of the gas tariff cut to 700 per mmbtu.

“Roti and other varieties’ prices can come down if the government practically implements the gas tariff at the rate of Rs700 per mmbtu,” he added.

Prior to gas tariff reduction, the government in the last week of July 2019 banned the export of wheat and its related products but the stakeholders had already raised wheat flour prices by Rs5 to Rs6 per kg in April.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2019