Lahore:
Despite official efforts to regulate market prices, consumers were faced with random overload throughout the city during last week when sellers continued to ignore the price lists issued by the government and did not comply with the compulsory sale of chicken living at fixed rates.
The Punjab government had revised the price of chicken living for the first time in more than two and a half months, the RS13 reducing per kilogram and fixing the official rate between RS384 and RS398 per kg. However, live chicken was not available for sale in the city.
Instead, the sellers only offered chicken meat, billing between RS590 and RS700 per kg, while boned chicken was sold at prices from RS900 to RS1.050 per kg, clearly above approved prices.
Price violations have extended to vegetables and essential fruits, many of which have been sold double or even triple official prices. The potatoes (grade A), at the official price of RS45 to RS50 per kg, were sold for RS80 to Rs100.
Lower quality potatoes were also much higher on the market than official rates. The onions (grade A), with a fixed price from RS40 to RS45 per kg, were sold for RS80 to RS100, while quality varieties B and C have also seen swollen rates.
The tomatoes have seen an official reduction of RS20 per kg, which brought the price of quality tomatoes A to Rs36 to RS40 per kg.
However, in the markets, they were sold at Rs80 to Rs90 per kg. The garlic (local), at the price of RS152 to RS160 per kg, was available for RS150 to RS250, while the GI variety, fixed at RS343 to RS360, was sold between RS400 and RS500.
The Chinese garlic, officially from RS353 to RS370 per kg, reached RS500, and the Harani variety, fixed at RS220 to RS230, was sold to Rs400.
Thai and Chinese ginger, set at RS353 to RS370 per kg after a reduction in RS20, were sold between RS450 and RS500.
Other vegetables have seen similar deviations.
The farm cucumbers, fixed at RS42 to RS45 per kg, were sold for RS60 to RS100. Brinjal, officially RS47 to RS50 per kg, was sold at Rs80 to Rs120. The spinach, with an official price unchanged from RS23 to RS25, were sold for RS50 to RS60.
Capsicum, cauliflower, cabbage and carrots have also shown large price gaps.
