Households throughout Pakistan are struggling continue to fight with a staggering increase of 30-40 percent in prices of significant raw materials. Despite government interventions, inflation relentlessly affected every aspect of daily life, leaving the citizens rolled.

The efforts to stabilize prices failed where producers adopted subtle tactics such as reducing the amount of packaged goods without lowering costs.

For example, a 1-kilogram pack of tea now weighs 900 grams, while sacks of flour and other staplers are similarly shrunk in weight. Still, prices remain unaffected, if not higher, and expose consumers to a running squeeze.

A snapshot of last year’s price settlement reveals the bleak reality.

Rice, which sold to RS280 per Kg in January 2024, now costs RS380. Ghee has jumped from RS450 to RS550, while cooking oil climbed from RS500 to RS560.

Pulses such as black lenses experienced a meteoric increase from RS350 to RS560 per year. Kg.

Similarly, milk prices from RS200 to RS220 costs. Liters and spices now cost the RS500 per day. Kg, up from RS350 at the start of the year.

Other items have followed the same trend. Ginger, garlic, bakery products and even Roti and Naan have seen price increases that disproportionately affect consumers.

A cup of tea that was RS50 last December costs the RS80, while the Naan prices rose from RS25 to RS30.

Tandoor (oven) Operators cite increased meal costs and supplements to the shrinking size of red flour bread, forcing workers to double their purchases just to meet their basic dietary needs.

The situation has been exacerbated by spiral-shaped fuel costs, where petrol and diesel prices directly affect the cost of transport and supply chain.

Central Grocery Merchants Association President Saleem Pervaiz Butt attributed inflation to a combination of rising fuel prices, government tax and a weakened rupie.

He warned that the trend shows no sign of diminishing.

Efforts such as the Punjab government’s “Sasta Sahulat Bazaars” have also failed to provide relief, with 16 markets and 24 subsidized wagon bazaars that shut down due to incorrect management and rising costs.

Even official price lists issued by the District Market Committee (DPC) have become unreliable, with open market prices that often exceed them with RS40 to RS100.

Without immediate solutions in sight, the merciless increase in the cost of living paints a gloomy image for the coming year, especially for low -income groups that carry brown of the crushing weight of inflation.

The crisis extends beyond food. Livestock prices have risen dramatically, with buffaloes that now cost RS0.8 million to RS1 million – a steep increase from last year’s RS0.5 million to RS0.6 million range.

This increase is attributed to a 300 percent increase in feed costs per year. Chaudhry Khurram, Vice President of the Cattle Union.

Shafiq Qureshi, President of the Nanbai Association, emphasized that flour prices continue to rise monthly and predict even higher rates in 2025. The cost of a 50 kg of sack flour has already risen from RS6,900 to RS9,000 this year alone.