Zubair Qureshi
Prices of edible items, vegetables, fruit, gram flour and some pulses have gone up by 30%-40% with arrival of Ramazan in the country. This overnight increase by profiteers in the prices of essential items has multiplied woes of the poor daily wage workers, low salaried employees and middle and lower middle class of society.
Unfortunately, despite all their good intentions and claims to check food prices, the government relevant departments have miserably failed to curb this rising trend in prices.
Isloos like the rest of the country break their fast with fruit, milk, lemonade, samosa, pakora and other traditional Iftaar items. This turns into quite a festivity and all the family members sit together to break their fast or at least to participate in the ritual.
However, this year whereas coronavirus has affected the normal course of life forcing the people inside their homes it has also put them to enormous financial constraint, particularly those who earn daily wages or have small incomes. Price hike in items of daily use has further added to their miseries.
In Islamabad and Rawalpindi, unchecked increase in food items prices is getting on the nerves of the people. In Fruit for example, apple (red) is being sold at Rs280 per kg. Before Ramadan it was Rs240.
Similarly, banana which is an essential ingredient of the Iftaar is being sold at Rs 150 while a couple of days earlier its price was Rs120 per one dozen.
Interestingly the Islamabad Territory Authority administration has given a price list for banana that is Rs95 for one dozen. Other fruit like guava being sold at Rs200 instead of Rs84, melon for Rs 120 instead of Rs60, watermelon Rs85 instead of Rs50 and lemon Rs400 instead of Rs150.
Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat in a tweet informed that 15 teams on Sunday conducted raids in various markets to ensure price control and imposed fine of Rs700,000 on the spot. Six shops have been sealed while 15 are arrested for charging above the government list of prices on these items.
Utility Stores have also resumed working and thousands of people did their Ramazan/Iftaar shopping there, further said the DC Islamabad.
Because of lockdown and coronavirus, free delivery of various food and consumer items was done at 33 homes and fair price shops were also set up to facilitate the Ramazan shoppers, he further said.
On the other hand, the shopkeepers and vendors have blamed hoarders and whole sellers for this increase in the edible items, fruit and vegetables.
Take for instance the example of lemon, said a vegetable vendor Farid while talking to Pakistan Observer.
They (the wholesale dealers) kept raising lemon prices on daily basis and then one day before Ramadan it went missing from the market and now its prices are up almost twice and poor people are forced to buy it because it is integral part of their Iftaar menu.
