KARACHI: Retailers continue to flout official pricing lists, keeping rates above the reach of many cash-strapped consumers who are already struggling with soaring gas and power bills. The year 2024 proved to be no different from the years prior.
Even a one-month export embargo on onions and bananas until April 15th failed to result in lower final consumer prices. In response to the restriction, fruit merchants continued to charge Rs200 for a dozen small-sized bananas and Rs250 for large-sized ones, despite the high demand driving retailers to maintain onion prices at Rs260–300 per kilogram.
On the first day of Ramadan, consumers saw an abundance of little, low-quality bananas, and they blamed the shopkeepers for releasing the stock that had been stockpiled to profit from the spike in demand.
Export restrictions on onions and bananas don’t lower their costs.
The official prices for premium onions and bananas were set at Rs242 per kg and Rs170 per dozen, respectively, which surprised many.
Because the official price lists for fruits and vegetables were primarily available on the Karachi Commissioner’s official website and X account (formerly Twitter), which most retailers, particularly pushcart vendors, could not access due to a lack of smartphones or internet connections, most retailers did not bother to display the official price lists.
They stated that unless the commissioner guaranteed the availability of these products at lower costs, they could not sell fruits and vegetables at regulated rates.
In contrast to their stated costs of Rs230 and Rs75 per kg, cabbage and capsicum are sold for Rs400 and Rs200, respectively.
The official rate of Rs. 127 is charged for a kilogram of tomato, while the official rate of Rs. 70–80 is charged for a kilogram of potatoes.
Although their official rates are Rs166 and Rs219 per kilogram, green and red apples are sold for Rs200 and Rs400 per kg, respectively. Although guava is marketed for Rs200 per kg, its actual price is Rs150.
At Rs 200 per kg, papaya and cheeko are accessible, but their official prices are Rs 158 and Rs 125. Although buyers are paying Rs200 per kg of melons, the official pricing is Rs183.
The Karachi commissioner has raised the official price of chicken, giving the stakeholders another opportunity to further overcharge customers, rather than helping the general public.
For example, on March 10, the retail prices of live broilers and their meat were regulated at Rs392 and Rs608 per kg, respectively. On the first day of Ramadan, these prices had been hiked to Rs412 and Rs639, respectively.
Retailers were observed asking between Rs450 and Rs470 per kilogram for live birds and between Rs650 and Rs700 for their flesh, despite having no cap on their profit margins.
One of the reasons the administration has failed to regulate prices and offer any relief to the public is the lack of authorities in charge of the price regulatory machinery, given the size of the city’s 18 municipalities and the network of large markets and retailers, including pushcart owners.
Rather than wholesalers who are unaffected during the holy month, stores are the officials’ easiest targets. Retailers collect the fee from customers by charging more when the authorities levy it for overcharging.
For the past few months, yogurt has remained at a price of Rs280–320 per kg, while loose milk is the only product supplied at the officially set amount of Rs200 per litre.
Shopkeepers are selling black gram (kala channa), baisan, and white gram (Kabuli channa) for Rs280, Rs260-280, and Rs380-400 per kg, respectively, despite the official retail prices being established at Rs182, Rs209, and Rs300 per kg. The cost of branded baisan is Rs 320 per kg.
Mashing and gram pulse were sold openly for between Rs 520 and Rs 550, despite the official rates being regulated at Rs 495 and Rs 204, respectively.
