KARACHI, Sept 22: The Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG) has said that the city government has just issued a notification regarding the prices of essential items for Ramazan but it has, so far, failed to publish the price list.

Addressing a press conference at the association’s office here on Friday, KRGG Chairman Sufi Mohammad Akram, Vice-Chairman Juma Habib and General Secretary Farid Qureshi said that the retailers would decide a future course of action on Monday, maintaining that the city government had neither contacted them, nor did it take their association into confidence before issuing the notification.

Because of a lack of coordination between the two sides, there appeared to be a wide disparity between the prevailing market prices and those fixed by the city government for Ramazan, according to the KRGG leaders.

Indicating that there is a big difference in even the wholesale prices quoted by the city government as compared to the prevailing market rates, they argued that how the retailers would be able to sell their merchandise at a price lower than the purchasing in the wholesale markets.

They said that the members of the association were desperately looking for the price list supposed to be issued by the city government and they were sending their inquiries to the KRGG office. However, the city government had not yet provided them with the list even a couple of days before the advent of Ramazan.

They said that the association was trying to hold a meeting with the governor and chief minister of Sindh to apprise them of the situation.

They apprehended that the city government, through its officials with magisterial powers, would start penalising retailers for alleged profiteering while ignoring wholesalers and wholesale rates. This might compel many retailers to close down their business to escape harassment, fines and imprisonment, they added.

They maintained that if the city government wanted retailers to follow its price list, it must first ensure supply of the listed items at matching rates in wholesale prices.

“If it is not possible, the city government should negotiate the prices with the retailers’ organisation in order to revise the list,” they added.

They said that the city government had failed to check the Rs16 per kg increase in ghee and cooking oil prices, Rs20 per kg in tea prices, as well as the hike in the rates of beverages, jam, jelly, marmalade etc, many days before Ramazan and it was simply impossible for retailers to sell these commodities at the reduced rates quoted in the official price list.