Pakistanis in a fix over deepening food price disparities

Higher import and transportation costs, crop availability, the demand and supply gap, hoarding, exchange rate issues, etc have led to massive price disparities in prices of essential food items in various cities of the country. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the rate of 20kg flour bag in Karachi has reached a record Rs2,800-3,000 as compared to Rs1,295 in Islamabad, Lahore and Gujranwala, while the same bag is being sold for Rs1,300-2,880 in Larkana, Sukkur and Hyderabad. In Quetta and Peshawar, these flour bags sell for Rs1,295-2,700. The port city of Karachi does not cultivate wheat and it depends on the arrival of grain, mainly from producing areas in interior Sindh. In Khuzdar, a live broiler chicken is available at Rs460 per kg as compared to Rs410-450 in Quetta, while in Karachi it is sold at Rs390-420. The bird costs Rs375 in Peshawar and Rs390-400 in Islamabad. The highest egg rates of Rs275-300 per dozen prevail in Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Quetta, while the lowest egg rates of Rs250-270 are in Multan, Bahawalpur and Sukkur.