Prices of essential commodities, including cooking oil and ghee, continued to rise across Pakistan due to an increase in diesel prices amid Middle East tensions.
Representative bodies of wholesalers and retailers stated that the rise in transportation costs had led to an increase in the prices of ghee and cooking oil. The price for premium ghee and cooking oil has increased by Rs30 per kilogram/litre from Rs560 per kg/litre to Rs590 per kg/litre.
Similarly, second-rate cooking oil has also increased by Rs35/litre from Rs510/litre to Rs545/litre. Second-rate ghee has increased by Rs25/kg from Rs510/kg to Rs535/kg.
The prevailing scenario is putting additional pressure on consumers already hit by soaring food inflation. Not only are the poor, but also middle-class households, feeling the pressure of unprecedented inflation. A significant cut in diesel prices alone can halt the inflationary trend in food inflation.
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