RAWALPINDI: The price of sugar in the garrison city jumped to Rs95 per kg while wheat flour is selling at Rs70 per kg.

The residents have demanded that the government should ensure availability of all basic food items at reasonable prices.

However, wholesalers feared that the price of sugar could increase to Rs100 per kg in coming days as in the last three days it had gone up from Rs90 to Rs95 per kg. Some consumers said utility stores were selling sugar at Rs78 per kg but most of the shopkeepers purchased sugar from these stores and sold it on higher rates.

The citizens expressed resentments over the increase in the price of sugar and said last year it was available at Rs54 per kg.

“I bought sugar from Arya Mohallah at Rs95 per kg and wheat flour from a chaki at Rs70 per kg. In March, wheat flour was available at Rs60 per kg,” said Mohammad Munir, a resident of Committee Chowk.

Badar Minhas, of Aliabad, said the government had failed to control prices. He said he bought two kg sugar last week at Rs90 per kg but on Saturday it was available at Rs95 per kg.

“The Punjab government and the district administration have failed to control prices of edibles,” he said, adding prices of chicken had also increased to Rs180 per kg and beef to Rs750 per kg.

However, Rawalpindi Merchant Association President Saleem Pervaiz said it was not possible for retailers to sell sugar at a low price as they purchased it at higher rate from wholesalers.

“We got sugar at Rs4,400 per 50 kg bag from mills and how it is possible to sell it at Rs70 per kg or less,” he said.

He held the Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan responsible for the increase in the price of sugar. He said the corporation purchased sugar in a bulk from mills at higher rates after which the millers fixed the price saying the government department had purchased the commodity at this rate and they would sell it at the same rate to the dealers.

Mr Pervaiz admitted that some shopkeepers were getting subsidised sugar from the utility stores and selling it in the open market at higher rate. He said it was the duty of the district administration to control it.

About wheat flour, he said wheat flour from private chakis was available at higher prices while flour bags at controlled rates were available in the market. He said the government had fixed the rate at Rs860 per 20 kg bag but in the market a 15 kg bag was available at Rs960 and 25 kg bag at Rs1,600.

Zahoor Bhatti, a Wheat Flour Dealers’ Association representative, told Dawn that there was a shortage of controlled rate flour as millers got daily quota of 81,000 kg wheat from the government. He said 30pc of the quota wheat was given to dealers for selling wheat at the controlled rate and 60pc to private chaki owners.

“We were getting 40 bags of wheat flour on a daily basis from mills last week but on our demand the district food department increased the quota to 2,500 bags daily at the rate of Rs860 per 20 kg bag.”

He added: “The basic reason is that there is a mafia which procured wheat from the farmers and is selling it in higher rates. Mostly people in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are using fine wheat flour and mills sell it in 15 kg and 25 kg bags as the government controlled wheat flour is available in 20 kg bags.”

Haji Saeed Ahmed, a spokesman for Flour Mills Owners Association, said the government was releasing less wheat to the millers. He said if the government increased the daily quota the millers would provide more bags in the open market.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Anwarul Haq said the district administration had established sale points on main roads where people could get a 20 wheat flour bag for Rs860.

He said on a daily basis only 70pc of the bags were sold out at the sale points. He said people mostly used fine wheat flour which was available in the open market.

However, he said price magistrates had been directed to check overcharging and the situation would improve in a day or two. He said the government would ensure the implementation of the official price list.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2020