Atta, chicken rates soar amid no sign of let-up
An uncontrollable upward trend in prices of wheat flour and chicken has left consumers high and dry as rates witnessed a fresh jump over the last few days. While prices of various flour varieties shot up to Rs140-160 per kg, that of live poultry reached Rs420 per kg amid lack of any official check on sellers who are raising prices at their whims. Millers now quote the rates of flour no. 2.5 and fine flour/maida at Rs130 and Rs140 per kg as compared to Rs115 and Rs118 in the last week of December. In absence of any price checking mechanism and due to delay in clearance of poultry feed’s main raw material [GMO soybean meal] from the port, stakeholders have taken the prices of live poultry bird up to Rs420 per kg from Rs380-400 two days back. Retailers are charging Rs620-680 per kg for clean meat against Rs580-640 a couple of days ago. On the wholesale market, flour no. 2.5 is available at Rs136-138 per kg as compared to Rs113 in the last week of December. The wholesale fine atta and maida rate is Rs142 per kg versus Rs115. Chakki flour’s wholesale rate is Rs155 as against Rs140 per kg.