ISLAMABAD, July 28, 2011: The prices of 25 commodities including poultry products, meat, vegetables, cooking oil, kitchen fuel and some pulses and fruits registered an average increase of 13% while 17 commodities registered an average decrease of 4%, which is too meager to offset the sharp increase in the price of important consumer items ahead of Ramazan, says FAFEN’s Retail Price Monitor for the month of July 2011.
Some important commodities like tomato (157%), potato (18%), chicken meat (18%), eggs (13%), LPG (12%), onion (5%), chickpeas (3%) and wheat flour (2%) registered an increase in their respective prices. while of the 17 commodities that registered price decrease the highest was observed in the price of banana (11%) and ginger (10%). However, the price of four commodities registered no change in July as compared to the prices of these commodities in June 2011.
FAFEN monitors collected prices of 46 commodities on 10th July 2011 from designated retail outlets in 145 towns in 77 districts across the four provinces and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
The highest increase was registered in the price of tomato that increased by 157%. The price of tomato increased from an average of Rs.22 per kilogram in June 2011 to Rs.56 per kilogram in July 2011. The price of potato also increased by 18%.
The price of staple food i.e., wheat flour increased by 2%. The price of poultry products also increased, with the highest increase registered in the price of chicken meat (18%), followed by chicken live (15%) and eggs per dozen (13%). Meat items i.e., mutton and beef each experienced an increase of 3% in their prices, respectively.
The price of mustard oil and cooking oil increased by 4% and 1%, respectively, in July 2011 as compared to their prices in June 2011.In kitchen fuels, the price of LPG registered an increase of 12% whereas the price of firewood decreased by 2% in July as compared to June 2011.
Of the rice varieties, the price of rice basmati broken increased by 2% while that of rice-irri increased by 1%. However, rice basmati-386 registered a decrease of 1% in its price in the observed month as compared to the previous one. Some pulses registered a price increase while others a decrease. Pulses including gram pulse, white beans, chick peas and gram black registered an increase of 5%, 5%, 4% and 3% in their respective prices while other pulses like red beans, mash pulse and moong pulse registered a decrease of 4%, 2% and 1% in their prices, respectively.
Almost all the observed condiments and spices registered a price decrease, the highest of which was observed in the price of ginger that decreased by 10% followed by garlic, salt powder, turmeric and red chilies powder with a decrease of 6%, 3%, 2% and 2%, respectively.
In fruits, varieties of apples- golden and dark red- registered an increase of 25% and 18% in their prices, respectively, while the price of banana decreased by 11% in the observed month as compared to the previous one.
With the decrease in the price of milk by 1%, the price of yoghurt also decreased by 1%. Sugar and desi shakar each registered an increase of 2% in its price. The price of prepared tea cup that uses both milk and sugar as inputs, registered an increase of 3% in July as compared to June 2011.
About FAFEN:
FAFEN is a network of 42 civil society organizations working to foster democratic accountabilities in Pakistan. It is governed by the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability.
