THE advent of Ramazan spurts grocery to textiles businesses which in its wake bring a lot of profit and prosperity for many though, unfortunately, in our country through ‘escalation of prices and excessive profits’.

Grocers assessing the needs and requirements of their customers for the month, start storing food items much ahead of Ramazan, as do the importers.

The traders import dates from various countries mainly Iran because of its higher consumption during Ramazan, said a dates trader in Jodia Bazaar. Some Iranian dates are also of superior quality.

Pakistan is also a producer of dates. The fruit especially grows in Khairpur district of Sindh. Pakistan stands fifth in production of dates. It exports dates to India but it is dried dates called Choara. Denmark has recently entered into an agreement to import dates from Pakistan.

While chickpea brown and white (Kabuli) whole and in the split form (pulse) and gram flour (Baisan) are imported on large scale from Australia, Canada, Tanzania, Mayanmar and from India. Pakistan’s pulse import has hit $433.436 million in the fiscal year 2011-12 as the local crop was hit by severe weather condition.

The edible oil traders start making preparation for the import of the commodity at least two to three months before the arrival of the holy month. New brands of cooking oils are introduced in the market.

Olive, sunflower, canola and palm oil are used as edible oils in the country. While some of the oils are produced locally, olive and palm oil are imported from Italy, Spain and Malaysia.

Country’s import of palm oil alone increases 6-7 per cent more two to three months prior to the arrival of Ramazan, says Pakistan Vegetable Oil Mills Association member Nasir Jamal. The country imports more than two million metric tons of edible oil products that caters about 76 per cent of the country’s total oil consumption, said Mr Nasir.

Anticipating strong domestic demand ahead of Ramazan, the traders had imported 175,000-180,000 metric tons of palm oil in July 2012, he said. At present the edible oil import bill is the second only to petroleum products.

Confectioners and bakers do the most roaring business during this month. The sell their items of Samosay, Pakoray, Dahi Barey, Kabab rolls, nuggets and nimkos like anything. People throng these bakeries and purchase these items as if they were being distributed free of cost. Many have to return empty handed for shortage of the items in the evening.

The business of confectioners although always brisk multiplies many times more during the holy month, with sales of cakes on the night the crescent of Shawwal appears on the horizon heralding the great feast of Eidul Fitr.

The sales of melon, water melon, garma, plums and peach along with mango go up. Though the prices are high and only within the reach of affluent, there is so much affluence in Karachi.

With the arrival of Ramazan, almost all the essential items witness spiral in prices which in most case are between 30-40 per cent above the prices in usual days, said a trader.

People with limited means suffer the most in this month amidst rising prices of vegetables, fruits and meat which reduces their purchasing power and forces them to curtail their needs. But the problem of the destitute and the poorest of the poor is somewhat mitigated by Islam’s doctrine of Zakat, Sadaquat and Fitra.