Lahore:
Residents of Lahore continue to struggle to profit in important foods, where prices of markets significantly exceed the rate lists released by the government.
Consumers throughout the city complain that shop owners seem to charge what they want during a period of already high inflation.
Punjab enforcement and Legislative Authority (PERA) launched for the purpose of modernizing supervision and introducing stricter control, has not yet proven to be effective.
For buyers navigating markets this week, the contrast between controlled rates and actual retail prices was ready.
Poultry remained one of the most shiny examples. The official price of live chicken was determined between RS314 and RS328 per day. Kg, while chicken meat was set to RS475. Nevertheless, customers reported that chicken meat was sold between RS510 and RS620 per day. Kg, with boneless cuts that deal with as high as the RS900.
A shopper in the Township market expressed its frustration and said, “Every time I see the official speed list laid on the wall, it feels like a joke. The shop owners laugh when you point to it. We have no choice but to pay what they require because we can’t stop eating.”
Vegetables showed similar holes. Potatoes that were attached to RS70 to RS75 per Kg for A-quality products, was consistently sold to RS120, while mixed lower qualities went for RS80 to RS100. Onions, officially listed for RS75 for RS80, reached RS120 in retail. Tomatoes, which the government fixed for RS136 for RS150, were sold to RS250 to RS300, twice as the notified rate. Garlic and ginger were no exception. Local garlic set to RS200 for RS210 was sold to RS300, while Chinese and Thai ginger, officially priced between the RS430 and RS500, reached as high as the RS800 per year. Kg. Other vegetables, including cucumbers, brinjal, spinach, zucchini and ladyfinger, also commanded profits of 30 to 70 percent over official prices, adding additional load on household budgets.
Fruit prices underlined the same problem. Apples attached between RS140 and RS325 depending on variation, sold in markets for RS200 to RS500. Bananas that are uncovered by RS200 per Dozen, costs RS250, while Guavas, officially unchanged to RS205 for RS215, retailer for as much as RS400. Dates set for RS470 for RS510 were sold between RS800 and RS2,000 per year. Kg depending on variation and quality. Grapes, peaches, papayas and persimmons similarly exceeded official price ceilings with major disagreements across neighborhoods.
Buyers say that when the authorities visit the markets, their inspections are symbolic at best, and suppliers resume over -charging when inspectors leave.
“The officials come with notebooks and cameras, but the next hour is all the same,” said a resident of Shadman who bought vegetables for his family. “We are told every week that monitoring is improved, but it never happens. Ordinary families like mine are not without protection.”
Urban administrators continue to lift tighter controls and insists that market committees and magistrates increase supervision. But with the award holes that continue over almost any perishable commodity, Lahore families say the burden of inflated bills is getting heavier every week.
