Copyright brecorder
ISLAMABAD: The prices of the essential kitchen items have witnessed a mixed trend during the past week against the previous week, revealed a survey conducted by Business Recorder here on Saturday. Ghee/cooking oil prices witnessed no fluctuations as B-grade ghee/oil is available at Rs6,350 per carton of 16 packs in the wholesale market, which in retail is being sold at Rs420 per pack of 900 grams, while the best quality cooking oil/ghee brands such as Dalda ghee in wholesale market are available at Rs2,700 per 5kg tin which in retail are being sold at Rs2,850 per 5-litre bottle. No changes were witnessed in the prices of branded spices such as Shan, National, and others, which are available at Rs150 per 39-gram pack and sachet pack at Rs70. The prices of the various varieties of rice witnessed further decline as the best quality basmati in wholesale market went down from Rs14,000 to Rs13,700 per 40kg bag, which in retail is being sold at Rs400 per kg, normal quality Basmati from Rs13,000 to Rs12,500 per 40kg bag, which, in retail, is being sold at Rs350 against Rs360 per kg, and broken Basmati from Rs10,000 to Rs9,000 per 40kg bag, which, in retail is being, sold at Rs260 against Rs280 per kg. Wheat flour prices witnessed an increasing trend as the best quality wheat flour ex-mill price of a 15kg bag went up from Rs1,800 to Rs1,820, which in retail is being sold at Rs1,850 per 15kg bag. The tandoor owners have also kept the price of Roti, Naan, and Paratha unchanged. Roti is priced at Rs20, Naan at Rs23-25, and Paratha at Rs60. No fluctuation was witnessed in bakery and confectionery item prices, as normal-sized bread is available at Rs140, and small-sized bread at Rs100/110. The prices of cooked food items remained stable, as a cooked dal/vegetable plate at a normal hotel is available at Rs320, a cooked beef plate at Rs550, a cooked chicken plate at Rs500, cooked mutton at Rs750, and naan/roti is being sold at Rs25/30. No significant changes were witnessed in sugar prices which in open market remained stable at Rs9,150 per 50-kg bag, while officially the government has fixed the commodity price at Rs8,600 per 50kg bag which is only available for license holder retailers, while non-license holder retailers are purchasing the commodity from open market at higher rates and selling at Rs190/200 per kg against Rs172 per kg the government fixed price. The survey observed an increase in chicken prices, which went up from Rs11,600 to Rs12,000 per 40kg in the wholesale market, and in retail is being sold at Rs330-340 against Rs310-320 per kg, while chicken meat is available in the range of Rs530-620 against Rs500-600 per kg. According to traders, egg prices went up in the wholesale market from Rs9,000 to Rs9,300 per carton of 30 dozen, which in retail are being sold in the range of Rs320-340 against Rs300-330 per dozen. Mutton and beef prices remained stable as normal quality mutton is available at Rs2,400 per kg, while the best quality is being sold in the range of Rs2,700-2,8000 per kg, normal quality boneless beef is available at Rs1,500 per kg, and normal mixed beef at Rs1,300 per kg. Various varieties of fish are available in the range of Rs600 to Rs1000 per kg. No changes were witnessed in tea prices, as Lipton Yellow Label is available at Rs2,200 per 900-gram pack and Islamabad Tea is available at Rs1,800 per kg. In the wholesale market, turmeric powder price remained stable at Rs700 per kg, which retailers are selling at Rs1,000 per kg, and red chilli powder price also remained stable at Rs550 per kg, which retailers are selling at Rs800 per kg. Pulse prices remained stable as maash pulse is available at Rs500 per kg, gram pulse at Rs300 per kg, whole gram pulse at Rs300 per kg, various varieties of bean lentils in the range of Rs430-520 per kg, moong pulse at Rs350 per kg, and masoor pulse at Rs280 per kg. Prices of packed milk brands Milk-Pak, Olpers, and others per litre pack remained stable at Rs3800-4000 per carton, while in retail, 250 ml packed milk is being sold at Rs100 per 250 ml. Similarly litres pack at Rs360 per litre. Fresh milk prices in some parts of the twin cities are being sold at Rs250 per litre, while in some parts are still being sold at Rs240 per litre, and the yogurt price is stable at Rs250 per kg. No changes were observed in the prices of powder milk, such as Nido and Lactogen, as 400-gram Nido powder milk is available at Rs1,350, and a 200-gram pack at Rs 750 per pack. Bathing soaps’ prices remained stable as family-size Safeguard is available at Rs160 per pack, while Dettol, Lux, Palmolives, and others are available at Rs180 per pack, and detergent prices, such as Ariel Surf, Brite, Express Power, and others, are available at Rs530 per kg pack. The prices of various brands of cold drinks, such as Pepsi, Coke, Miranda, and others, remained stable as a family-size bottle is available at Rs230. Officially, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has reduced for October 2025, lowering the cost of an 11.8kg domestic LPG cylinder by Rs79.14 compared with September and fixed Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at Rs222 per kg. The price of an LPG cylinder has come down from Rs2527 to Rs2448. But the retailers are still overcharging by Rs500 per cylinder. Overall vegetable prices witnessed a declining trend following the restoration of supply routes as potatoes price went down from Rs5,000-8000 to Rs4000-6,000 per quintal, which in retail are being sold in the range of Rs70-100 against Rs80-130 per kg; onion price in wholesale market went down from Rs4,700-8,500 to Rs4,000-6,500 per quintal, which in retail are being sold in the range of Rs80-100 against Rs100-170 per kg and tomato prices went down from Rs1,750 to Rs1,550 per basket of 15kg, which in retail are being sold in the range of Rs200-250 against official price of Rs132-167 per kg. Overall vegetable prices witnessed a declining trend excluding ginger, garlic and tomatoes as ginger price went up from Rs1,500/1,600 to Rs1,800/2000 per 5kg in the wholesale market, which in retail is being sold in the range of Rs500-600 against Rs450-500 per kg, local garlic went up from Rs800 to Rs850 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs230-270 against Rs220-250 per kg, Quetta garlic price went up from Rs 1,100 to Rs1,300 per 5kg which in retail is being sold at Rs290-320 against Rs280-300 per kg and China garlic price went up from Rs1,350 to Rs1,500 per 5kg in the wholesale market which in retail is being sold in the range of Rs350-400 against Rs270-320 per kg. It was, however, noted that the majority of vendors were selling local garlic in the name of China/Quetta garlic to maximize their profits, while the government has fixed local garlic price at Rs210-220, Quetta garlic at Rs270-285, and China garlic at Rs340-375. Similarly, the prices of all the other vegetables and fruits witnessed a significant decline in the wholesale market, but the retailers, in the absence of effective monitoring, have not passed the benefit on to the end consumers. The people have urged the authorities to either enforce the official price list or stop doing such an exercise, which has no benefit to the masses. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
