Rice, sugar, pulses hit new
peak
By
Aamir Shafaat Khan
KARACHI:
As wholesale prices of pulses, rice and sugar have touched a
new peak, consumers may witness another price-hike if
government further increases petroleum prices on March 1.
The prices may get another push, especially of rice, sugar
and pulses, as these mainly arrive from Sindh and Punjab
after paying heavy transportation charges.
Wholesale price of gram pulse which hit Rs84 per kg on Feb
21, has gone up to Rs90 per kg. Black gram rate surged to
Rs75 from Rs65. Moong price now costs Rs130 as compared to
Rs120 on Feb 21. Moong was priced at Rs110 per kg 10 days
back. Masur is now trading at Rs65 and 75 per kg in
wholesale market as compared to Rs55 and 65.
Basmati super Saila price has increased to Rs84-90 per kg
from Rs78-82 while wholesale price of Basmati 386 has
reached Rs50-52 from Rs48, said a wholesaler.
Wholesale price of sugar was Rs48 per kg ahead of Eid
Miladun Nabi and after crawling down frequently, it plunged
to Rs45.50 per kg by Feb 21. After rising demand, the
wholesale rate of sugar has risen to Rs49 to Rs49.50 per kg.
He said only 50 per cent of the impact of petroleum
price-hike made on Feb 1, coupled with rupee devaluation
against the dollar, had been passed on to consumers.
But traders fear that reports about possible increase in
petroleum prices from March 1 would further fuel food
inflation in the country owing to rising transportation
charges.
The wholesaler said sugar is not being imported. So there is
no direct impact of rupee-dollar parity on its prices.
He did not agree that price hike in rice and sugar was
because of reports that Iran would import 200,000 tons of
rice and also expected to import sugar under a barter trade
deal.
He claimed that retailers and other buyers had actually
returned to Dandia Bazaar where trading had remained laggard
for the last one- and-a-half months.
Courtesy: The DAWN