NAROWAL: Shrinkflation has become the order of the day as customers pay a kilogramme price to shopkeepers but get 900 grams in return at the stores and shops of dairy products, vegetables, pulses and meat.

The district administration and price control magistrates have yet to take action despite knowing that vendors of groceries, vegetables, fruits, yogurt, chicken and mutton sell 900 grams but charge the customers the price of 1,000 grams.

The district price control committee fixes the prices of daily necessities under the unit of a kilo (1,000 grams) and a litre (1,000ml).

District administration and magistrates from the district price control committee regularly visit bazaars and markets, but the practice of shrinkflation is going on unchecked.

Other than shriknflation, vendors are flouting the government rates too. The price control committee has fixed the price of milk at Rs110 per litre and yogurt Rs120 per kg, but the majority of shopkeepers are selling 900ml milk at Rs130-140 and 900 grams of yogurt at Rs140-160.

Locals Muhammad Asghar and Munawwar Ali said the officers and price control magistrates do not check the manual and computerised scale of shopkeepers intentionally. They said several times they had complained to the administration officers about shopkeepers’ practice of selling a product with less weight and size but no action was taken.

Mohammad Waris and Naseeruddin said shopkeepers had faxed their scales at 900 grams instead of 1,000 grams. He said in the face of rising inflation, shopkeepers are looting the people openly.

On the other hand, shopkeepers say it is becoming difficult for them to sell items at government rates.

Shopkeepers Farid Khan and Qayyum Malik said they could not afford to sell groceries at government rates when they buy the necessities at high prices.

Deputy Commissioner Imtiaz Shahid Gondal, however, says 30 meetings of the price control committee were held in June which were attended by traders and rates were fixed in consultation with them.

In the last month, district price control magistrates checked 8,626 shops, took action against 1,392 vendors and fined them Rs2.5 million for overcharging the customers.

Magistrates also registered FIRs against seven shopkeepers and sealed two shops.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2022