Prices of essential kitchen items remain steady

PESHAWAR: Prices of important kitchen items remained high in the retail market, said a weekly-market survey carried out by media here on Sunday.

The survey revealed prices of vegetables, live chicken/meat, sugar, cooking oil/ghee, and flour, pulses, tea and others remained steady as so significant change or increase was witnessed in previous week as compared to preceding week.

A one-kilogram live chicken was available at Rs350/kg in the retail market, whereas a dozen of farm eggs were available at Rs420 against the price of Rs360 in the previous week as compared to preceding week. There is no change in price of meat and mutton beef, as cow meat without bone was available at Rs1100/kg and cow meat with bone is being sold at Rs1000/kg against the official rates announced by local authorities concerned. Mutton beef was being sold from Rs2500 to Rs3000/kg in the open market, the survey added.

Price of tomatoes remained steady as being sold at Rs100/ kg against the price of Rs110/ kg in the previous week as compared to preceding week, whereas price of onion remained unchanged as being sold at Rs140-150/ kg in the retail market, the survey noted. Ginger and garlic remained unchanged as being available at Rs600/kg and Rs200 and Rs300/kg respectively. Green chilli was being sold at Rs100/kg. Lemon is being sold at Rs150/ kg in the retail market, the survey said.

Peas was being sold at Rs200-250 per kg, capsicum at Rs200/kilo, ladyfinger Rs200-300 per kilo, Arvi Rs200/ kilo, turnip at Rs50-70/kg Eggplant (bringle) Rs100/ kilo, Zucchini (tori) Rs100-120/ kilo, Tinda Rs80/kg, cabbage at Rs120/kg, red-coloured potatoes available at Rs100/ kg while white-coloured potatoes are sold at Rs80/- per kg in the retail market, the survey said.

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.

A mixed trend was also witnessed in prices of pulses, according to the survey.

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

Survey furthermore said dal mash was available at Rs480, dal masoor at Rs320 per kilo, dal chilka (black) at Rs320/kg, dal chilka (green) at Rs260/kg, moonge at Rs400/kg, dhoti dal at Rs400/kg, dal Channa at Rs450/kg, red bean at Rs440 per kg, Gram flour (baisen) at Rs420/kg against Rs280/kg, big-size white Channa at Rs380/kg, small-size white Channa from Rs360/kg.

Also, the price of sugar remained unchanged as available at Rs190-200 per kilogramme in the retail market whereas prices of cooking oil/ghee of various brands and quality also remained unchanged.

Prices of flour in open and wholesale markets remained unchanged. A 20-kg bag was available at Rs2500 against the price of Rs2600 while an 80-kg bag was being sold at Rs12,500 against the price of Rs13000 in retail as well as wholesale market, according to the survey. However wheat flour and other products like maida, soji and choker flour also remained sky-high in the retail market.

Apple was available from Rs250-300 and Rs400-500/kg, banana at Rs150 and 200/dozen, Gauva at Rs150-200/kg.