KARACHI, Jan 6: The year 2004 brought no respite to the common man as prices of flour varieties, pulses, potato, tomato, meat, sugar, milk, poultry products, ginger, rice varieties , and almost all items of daily use continued to surge in contrast to a decline in the rates of onion and 16-kg ghee/cooking oil tins.
A comparison of prices during the whole year would show an increase of Rs2 per kg of atta No.2.5 and fine atta from the last years Rs14 to Rs16. The 10-kg bag of Ashrafi atta which was selling at Rs140 is now being retailed at Rs150.
Consumers witnessed sky-rocketing prices of flour varieties during Ramazan, reflecting gross irregularities and mismanagement on the part of the Sindh Food Department. They were also snubbed by flour mills which refused to offer the commodity at lower prices.
Pulses rates remained a hot issue during and after Ramazan as wholesalers did not accept the official rates. Gram pulse was available at Rs28 per kg one year ago as compared to Rs30 earlier this week.
Masoor price flared up to Rs42 a kg from Rs34 followed by moong which soared to Rs32 from Rs22-25 a kg. Arhar prices also rose to Rs38 from Rs32-36 a kg. Irri-6 and Irri-9 rates increased to Rs15-16 from Rs12 and Rs13-14 per kg respectively.
Poultry farm owners joined hand to push up poultry bird prices phenomenally on the grounds of low production. On January 1 this year, broiler poultry bird was selling at Rs84 a kg as compared to Rs68 at the end of last year, while its meat prices ranged between Rs140-150 as compared to Rs110-120 on January 1, 2004.
Egg prices went up to Rs47 this week as compared to Rs39 a dozen a year back. Sugar prices surged to Rs23-24 per kg from Rs19 per kg last year. Hoarding by millers and black-marketing by unscrupulous elements may be blamed as the main reason for price hike, and market reports suggest that prices will go up further despite import of 200,000 tons of the commodity as hoarders are still active in the market.
A cheap staple food potato also became costlier to Rs12 from Rs7 per kg while tomato prices rose up to Rs20 from Rs8-16 over the past year. Ginger rates continued to go up over the last six months, maintaining at Rs100 per kg from Rs45 in January last year.
Garlic prices remained unchanged at Rs40 per kg. End of crop, frequent supplies from producing areas, costlier or cheap imports are the main factors in the fluctuation in the prices of vegetables, besides bridging or widening the demand and supply gap.
The Qureishi community also continued to sell meat varieties at higher rates despite hectic efforts by the city government to keep the prices at reasonable level. Mutton, which was selling at Rs180-200 a year back, is now selling at Rs220-230 per kg.
Beef with bones is being retailed at Rs110 per kg as compared to Rs100 last year. Meat prices have been under pressure for several years, but price regulators and even the government find no time to take cognizance of the situation and take appropriate action against profiteers.
Prices of ghee and cooking oil, produced by the organized sector, have not registered any price hike. Rather, the rate of 16-kg ghee tin came down to Rs770 as compared to last January+AJI-s Rs845.
Tea prices showed mixed trend over the past year. Tapal 200 gram pack, which was available at Rs53 last year, is now selling at Rs52. The price of Lipton's yellow label, however, went up to Rs60 from Rs58 last year.