Prices of essential food items remain steady

PESHAWAR: Prices of essential food items remain stable during the previous week as compared to preceding week, said a weekly survey conducted here on Sunday.

Shoppers say prices are reaching out purchasing power with each passing day. They complained that local authorities failed to implement an official price list and keep check on rising prices.

Residents of Peshawar are voicing their frustration with the local district administration’s inability in controlling food prices that have failed to reduce even after record reduction in fuel prices.

According to the survey, the price of sugar, cooking oil/ghee, flour, live chicken/meat, vegetables and other items keep rising in the open market whereas the shopkeepers also charged consumers with self-imposed rates.

A one-kilogram live chicken/meat was available at Rs465 per kilogram in the retail market, while the price of farm eggs being sold at Rs360 per dozen, the survey said.

Cow meat without bone was available at Rs1100 and cow meat with bone is being sold at Rs1000 per kilogramme against the official rates announced by local authorities concerned, according to the survey. Mutton beef was being sold from Rs2500 to Rs3000/kg in the open market.

Tomato is being sold at Rs100 per kilogram in the open market whereas onion was being sold at Rs70-80/kg in the previous week. Ginger and garlic remained unchanged as being available at Rs600/kg and Rs200 and Rs300/kg respectively. Green chilli was being sold at Rs120/kg. Lemon is being sold at Rs400/kg in the retail market, the survey said.

Peas was being sold at Rs200 per kg, capsicum at Rs100-120/kilo, ladyfinger Rs100-150 and Rs200/kilo, Arvi Rs150-200/kilo, turnip at Rs150/kg Eggplant (bringle) Rs100/ kilo, Zucchini (tori) Rs100-120/kilo, Tinda Rs100/kg, cabbage at Rs100/kg, red-coloured potatoes available at Rs70/ kg while white-coloured potatoes are sold at Rs50/ kg in the retail market, the survey said.

The survey noted the price of sugar remained unchanged as it was available at Rs180-200/kg in the open market.

The survey noted the price of cooking oil/ghee of various brands and quality remains stable.

Buyers say prices of food grains, especially those which were daily use items in the kitchen, were beyond their purchasing power. The soaring prices continue to break the back of the common man, they said.

Price of flour was stable in the retail market as a 20-kg fine flour sac was being sold at Rs1750-Rs1600/sac and brown-coloured flour sac at Rs1400/sac in the open market. Wheat flour and other products like maida, soji and choker flour also remained high in the retail market.

According to the survey, prices of all brands and qualities of beverages also remained high in the local market. Black tea was being sold at Rs1400-1500 per kg, the survey added.

The survey said good quality rice (sela) was available at Rs360/kg, while low quality rice was available at Rs300-320/kg, while tota rice was available at Rs200-220/kg.