Punjab govt to provide relief on basic commodities during Ramazan

The Punjab government is working to control the prices of basic food commodities as part of an effort to curb inflation during Ramazan, an official said on Tuesday.

With Ramazan around the corner, relief efforts are underway to curtail the usual price hikes in necessary commodities such as vegetables, sugar, flour and dates. The move comes as people are rushing to register for the Ramazan Nigabhan Relief Package, an initiative announced by the Punjab government last month to help ease financial difficulties during the holy month.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister Salma Butt said that the rates of basic vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes and onions would stay under Rs100 with tomatoes at Rs40-50 per kilogramme while onions and potatoes would be Rs80 and Rs55-60/kg, respectively.

She termed it a “major change” compared to the previous year, adding that the cost of dates was also expected to decrease from Rs525 to Rs485/kg.

Butt underscored the need to keep the cost of dates from reaching unreasonable levels, adding that lemons were expected to be priced at Rs110/kg as opposed to the price going as high as Rs400/kg in previous years.

She said the pumpkin price was to be set at Rs70-80/kg compared to Rs200-250 last year while the price of Cauliflower, peas, and eggplants was expected to stay under Rs100.

Lentils, including dal chana, dal maash and black gram, have seen a price decrease of almost Rs100 since October last year, she said, adding that masoor and moong’s cost only went up by a minimal margin. Butt said the price of flour was to be set at Rs1,680/10kg, a stark decrease from Rs2,710 previously. She added that baisan’s (gram flour) cost had also gone down by Rs75.

Addressing the sugar price hike, the Punjab official detailed that in coordination with sugar mills, the cost of sugar would be fixed at Rs130/kg, highlighting the Punjab government’s commitment towards alleviating financial strain on the people. She also added that most commodities could be found for marginally cheaper rates at Ramazan Sahulat bazaars, established all over Punjab.

“This is the first step we have taken and would like to move on to the next to make our efforts more sustainable,” she added.