KARACHI: Despite the fact that lack of demand, low transportation cost on account of falling fuel price and cut in advance tax on import of pulses to zero from two per cent have driven the wholesale prices of pulses down by an average Rs20 per kg, retailers continue to charge old high rates from consumers.

“Pulses wholesale rates will further fall by up to Rs3 per kg after Rs27 per litre cut in diesel rate from May 1, 2,020,” said chairman of the Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association Anis Majeed.

On February 1, 2020, diesel price was Rs127 as compared to current rate of Rs80.10 per litre.

He said the rush of buyers at Dandia Bazaar had dwindled after witnessing extraordinary rush last month triggered by massive lifting of pulses, rice, sugar, flour, ghee and cooking oil, etc, by charitable trusts, industrialists and well-off people for providing rations to the needy people.

“Every trust, industries and philanthropists have a fixed quota for ration buying, which has now been utilised. Buying is still going on but lacks the fast pace of April,” he added.

After Rs20 per kg cut, the rate of masoor, gram pulse, moong, mash and black gram stood at Rs135-140 per kg, Rs125-130, Rs260, Rs95-200 and Rs120 per kg respectively.

Sugar’s wholesale rate stood unchanged at Rs76 per kg.

Rate of white gram is Rs95-110 per kg.

However, retailers are demanding Rs180-190 per kg for gram pulse, Rs280-300 per kg for moong, Rs180 per kg for masoor and Rs260 per kg for Mash.

Wholesale rates are still considered high in view of pre-lockdown price level.

For example, gram pulse was available at Rs130 per kg followed by moong at Rs210 per kg, masoor at Rs100 per kg and mash at Rs165 per kg.

With over 100 per cent jump in demand from welfare organisations, businessmen and philanthropists for distribution of rations, wholesalers fully cashed in the soaring demand by increasing pulses prices.

Flour demand goes down

A flour miller said flour demand from charitable organisations and business houses had declined over the past few days.

“When demand was high, 50 per cent of our flour sale was going towards ration suppliers, while people also lifted extra two to three bags to avert any food crisis during lockdown,” he added.

Official spokesperson, Alamgir Welfare Trust, Shakeel Dehalvi, said “buying from charitable trust has not slowed down. We are continuously buying ration related items. After coronavirus demand, new demand is emerging for providing rations during Ramazan.”

He said his trust over the past two months had provided 15-day ration to 50,000 people who look after five family members and the trust was also covering other cities.

He said price cut in pulses was good for ration providers and there were some other reasons of falling price of pulses like declining transportation cost.

‘No price list issued’

The commodity markets have yet to see the display of Ramazan price list of essential items at shops.

Anis Majeed said “the price list has not been issued during the holy month so far”.

General secretary of the Karachi Retail Grocers Group Farid Qureishi claimed that so far no price list had been released.

Officials at the commissioner office and bureau of supply and prices ask retailers to display last year’s price list at their shops.

He said divisional and deputy commissioners had been asked to speed up price checking, but this was not fair to take retailers to task for overcharging in absence of any official rates.

On low demand of items, he said now middle income group people were coming up, placing orders for making five to 10 ration bags of Rs2,000-4,000 each. However, big demand of 50 to 200 ration bags at price ranging from Rs3,000 to Rs5,000 each bag arriving from welfare organisations, businessmen and philanthropists has subsided, he added.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2020