KARACHI, July 1: Prices of 32 essential kitchen items in Karachi surged by an average 6.9 per cent in June 2004 over May 2004. Out of 32 kitchen basket items, onion, masur pulse, tomato, poultry bird, poultry meat , eggs and red chillies (whole dundicat), depicted price hike, while other items remained pegged to their last month's levels.

Onion became dearer by Rs3 to Rs10 per kg as a result of end of Sindh crop and start of new Balochistan crop. President Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market, Super Highway, Haji Shahjehan said that arrival from new crop is quite slow these days as large shipments are being sent to Kabul.

Tomato prices also shot up to Rs20 from Rs10 per kg owing to start of Balochistan crop and end of Sindh crop, he said adding that prices of other greens held unchanged because of frequent supplies from the producing areas.

Egg prices rose to Rs36 from Rs27 per dozen while rates of poultry live bird and its meat surged to Rs68 and Rs120 from Rs66 and Rs115 per kg. General Secretary, Karachi Wholesale Poultry Association (KWPA), Kamal Akhtar Siddiqui attributed the rise in egg rates to change of weather and low production.

However, he did not agree that poultry live bird prices had been on the rise, saying that prices were reaching to their original pre-bird flu scare levels. Masur prices registered a rise of Rs2 to Rs42 per kg while prices of other pulses like masur, arhar, gram pulse and mash stayed unchanged.

Red chillies (whole dundicat) prices increased to Rs100 from Rs75 per kg in the last one month. Tea packers have started cutting the rates following government's decision to slash import duty on tea to 10 from 20 per cent.

Makers of Tapal tea has announced cut of Rs12 per kg or Rs1 or 2 on various packets from July 1 while Unilever and Tetley are also considering to pass on the benefit of duty cut to the consumers.