KARACHI, Feb 1: Prices of sugar increased in the last one month by Rs2 per kg while rates of poultry bird also rose by Rs4 per kg. However, prices of vegetables, flour, pulses and rice remained either pegged to the previous levels or declined owing to frequent supplies from local crop or thin demand in the market.
Sugar prices reached to Rs20-21 per kg, from Rs18-19, owing to increase in wholesale prices. Last month, sugar was available at Rs17.60 per kg at wholesale as compared to current price of Rs18.55 per kg in the market, a monthly price survey (from January 1 to February 1) showed.
The market was facing sugar shortage these days as Sindh millers and growers were locked in a dispute over premium rate for sugarcane. As a result of this, only three to four millers in Sindh had started cane crushing out of over two dozen millers.
Cane crushing in Sindh was scheduled to get under way from November 15, 2002 but the millers delayed it for two months saying that they would start crushing when old stocks of 0.5 million were exhausted. It was now more than two months and cane crushing in Sindh was yet to pick up pace owing to dispute over premium rate.
Other notable increase was seen in poultry bird, rising to Rs64 per kg as compared to Rs60 last month due to demand in winter season. Egg price had shown no change at Rs37 per dozen.
Consumers had taken a sigh of relief last month as prices of majority of essential items remained intact.
In vegetables, onion prices remained unchanged at Rs5 to Rs6 per kg and its wholesale prices were hovering between Rs2 to Rs3 per kg. Onion was currently being consumed from Sindh’s new crop and the commodity was also being exported.
The price of tomato (Sindh crop) also plunged to Rs8 per kg, from Rs10, owing to frequent supplies from Sindh’s crop. It was available at Rs7 per kg at wholesale.
Potato was selling at Rs8 to Rs10 per kg. The commodity was arriving from Punjab’s new crop.
The price of garlic (arriving from China, Singapore and local crop) held unchanged at Rs40, while the rates of ginger, being imported from Singapore and China, also stayed at Rs40 per kg.
Atta no.2.5 and fine atta prices, which increased to Rs12 per kg as a result of increase in wholesale price of wheat on January 1 to Rs880 per 80 kg bag, depicted no change on February 1.
In pulses, retailers continued to fleece consumers in some varieties of pulses despite decline in wholesale prices.
Mash prices plunged to Rs26 per kg from Rs29 at retail level. In mung (no.1 and 2 qualities), wholesale prices had dropped to Rs25 from Rs28 but retailers were demanding Rs28 per kg. Masur was selling at old rates of Rs28-31 per kg and Arhar was being retailed at Rs28-36 per kg. Prices of gram pulse held unchanged at Rs28-30. At wholesale, gram pulse was selling at Rs20-21.
Various varieties of rice showed no upward change in prices. Retail price of Irri-6 was now being retailed at Rs11-12.50 per kg. Irri-9 was still selling at Rs18-19 per kg. Basmati Kernal prices stayed between Rs30-40 per kg.
