PESHAWAR: Prices of essential food commodities remained firm in the retail market.
Most of the daily kitchen items, essentially sugar, cooking oil, flour, pulses, vegetables, live chicken/meat and other sky-high in the retail market, said in a weekly market survey carried out by Business Recorder here on Sunday.
Live chicken/meat and products prices remained unchanged whereas farm eggs were being sold at Rs360/ dozen against the price of Rs340 in the retail market. Cow meat without bone was available at Rs1100 and cow meat with bone is being sold at Rs1000/ kg against the official rates announced by local authorities concerned. The price of mutton beef was from Rs2500 to Rs3000/kg in the open market.
Buyers blamed shopkeepers charging them with artificial rates due to lack of regular checking and price-control monitoring system.
The survey noted the price of sugar remained stable in the open market as available at Rs190-200/kg whereas prices of cooking oil/ghee of various brands and quality also remained unchanged.
Similarly, prices of flour in open and wholesale markets; as 20-kg bag was available at Rs1700 against the price of Rs2000 while decrease Rs1000 per 80-kg bag also witnessed, according to the survey. However, it was noticed that wheat flour and other products like maida, soji and choker flour also remained high in retail market.
The retail price of tomato has further increased as available at Rs250-300 per kilo against the price of Rs200 per kg in the previous week as compared to preceding week whereas price of one kilo of onion has dropped, available at Rs80 per kg against the price of Rs100/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.
On the other hand, prices of other veggie prices remained high in the open market.
Peas was being sold at Rs200/ kg, capsicum at Rs150/kilo, ladyfinger Rs100-150/ kilo, Arvi Rs150-200/ kilo, turnip at Rs100/kg Eggplant (bringle) Rs100/ kilo, Zucchini (tori) Rs100-120/ kilo, Tinda Rs100/kg, cabbage at Rs190-200/kg, red-coloured potatoes available at Rs80-100/ kg while white-coloured potatoes are sold at Rs70/ 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.
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/ kg.
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.
Similarly, the survey said dal mash was available at Rs480, dal masoor at Rs320/ 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/kg, Gram flour (baisen) at Rs420/kg against Rs280/kg, big-size white Channa at Rs380/kg, small-size white Channa from Rs360/kg.
Apple was available from Rs250-300 and Rs400-500/kg, banana at Rs150 and 200/dozen, mango at Rs200-250 and Rs300/kg, plum at Rs150 and Rs200/kg, apricot at Rs300-350 and Rs400/ kg, leechi at Rs500/kg, black jamun at Rs500 and Rs600/ kg, melon at Rs100-150 /kg, watermelon at Rs80/ kg.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
