Latest news with #Rs460
Express Tribune
02-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Chicken prices drop in Peshawar
The price of poultry has dropped significantly, falling from Rs460 per kilogram to Rs380 within a week - a decrease of Rs80 per kilogram. Despite the steep decline in raw chicken prices, the cost of chicken dishes at restaurants and fast-food outlets remains unchanged, drawing criticism from consumers. As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, the poultry market has witnessed a notable dip in prices. However, eateries across the city continue to sell chicken dishes at inflated rates, unchanged since prices peaked earlier this year. Previously, when chicken prices surged to Rs500 per kilogram, restaurant and fast-food operators raised the prices of popular chicken dishes. Now that chicken rates have dropped significantly, the public is questioning why those increased menu prices haven't been revised.
Express Tribune
13-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Rs500m to be spent on civil defence upgrade
In an effort to enhance emergency preparedness, the Punjab government has approved a Rs500 million modernisation package for the Civil Defence Department, signalling a strategic shift in the province's public safety framework. The decision was finalised during the 27th meeting of the Standing Committee of Cabinet on Law & Order, aligning with broader efforts to reinforce the province's crisis response capabilities amid heightened regional tensions. According to official documents issued by the Finance Department on May 10, a technical supplementary grant will be issued from the Internal Security Fund. Of the total allocation, Rs460 million has been designated for operational equipmentsuch as mine detectors, snake cameras, bomb blankets, electric sirens, and advanced fire extinguisher setswhile Rs40 million will support IT infrastructure upgrades. Punjab Home Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal has launched an ambitious volunteer recruitment campaign, with the goal of registering one million Civil Defence volunteers across the province. The dual strategyupgrading equipment and expanding human resourcesis aimed at building a comprehensive emergency management network capable of responding swiftly and effectively to a wide range of threats.
Express Tribune
10-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Ramazan bazaars offer limited relief to public
With the first 10 days of Ramazan coming to a close, inflation in Rawalpindi remains unchecked, and the gap between official price lists and actual market rates keeps widening. The provincial government, under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's directives, has set up Ramadan bazaars with slightly lower prices, but shoppers are far from satisfied, complaining about the quality of goods. Sugar is available at a subsidised rate of Rs130 per kilogramme in these markets, but the catch is that each customer can only buy a single kilogramme per CNIC. Frustrated by skyrocketing prices, many citizens have turned to these bazaars, only to be disappointed by subpar produce. A quick comparison of market rates versus Ramazan bazaars paints a clear picture of the inflation crisis. Essentials like potatoes, onions, and tomatoes are significantly cheaper in the bazaars, but items like garlic, ginger, and green chilies remain expensive. Fruits follow a similar pattern, with apples, oranges, and guavas selling at lower prices in the subsidised markets. Poultry prices continue to climb, with live chicken going for Rs460 per kg in the open market compared to Rs404 per kg in Ramazan bazaars, while chicken meat fluctuates between Rs750 and 800 per kg in regular shops but costs Rs575 per kg in the government-run markets. Eggs are slightly cheaper in the Ramazan bazaars but still burden consumers at Rs282 per dozen. Despite the minor relief in Ramazan bazaars, residents argue that the one-kilogramme sugar limit is impractical, urging the government to increase it to at least 2.5 to 5 kg per household to accommodate Ramazan necessities.
Express Tribune
08-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Cane growers demand fair prices
Listen to article LAHORE: Pakistan's sugar sector mismanagement has sparked disappointment among sugarcane growers – called the real stakeholders – as the millers and middlemen are accused of exploitation, with support from prominent politicians. A few politicians own sugar mills while the rest of the millers have close relationships with the political elite, creating a win-win situation for those who are behind sugar shortages despite availability of surplus quantities in the country. This year, the growers have also been deprived of the guaranteed support price for sugarcane from the government as, under an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the sugar market, along with wheat, has to be deregulated. Initially, the growers in Punjab were offered a price of around Rs350 per 40 kg, which at the end of the season is hovering between Rs400 and Rs450. "Sugarcane prices in Sindh are relatively high, the province has got a low yield and they are trying to get the desired quantity from Punjab," said an official of a Punjab-based sugar mill. "Growers were initially happy to fetch Rs400 per 40 kg, but as the crushing season is approaching its end, prices have been increased up to Rs460," he added. However, a large percentage of sugarcane growers are still under pressure due to the decades-old culture of delay in payments from most of the mills. This culture has provided an opportunity to the middlemen to enhance their influence because they have the capacity to hold the sugarcane crop and the sweetener. "We work extremely hard in our fields in the hope of receiving a fair price for our produce, but what most of the millers do with us is painful," said Farooq Aziz, a grower from south Punjab. The growers who have the capacity of loading their produce on tractor-trolleys and can wait for a long time before selling the harvest to the millers are also not happy. The millers often delay payments for months on excuses like high moisture content or weight disputes. "We have to knock on their doors for months before accepting lower prices after unjustified reductions," Aziz added. On the other side, those growers who cannot afford this long process simply sell their crop to the middleman, who of course gives a much lesser price than the market value. "Farmers have to feed their families, they have to purchase all inputs for the next crop and above all they have to pay off their debt. Nobody cares about these struggles," he said. As per official statistics, sugar production in 2024-25 is forecast to reach 6.8 million tons, 3% higher than 2023-24. This increase, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, is in line with population growth and demand from the food processing sector. Yet, farmers' income has stagnated. Over 60% of sugarcane growers are small landholders with less than five acres, trapped in a cycle of debt and dependency. The farmers argue they fail to keep pace with soaring input costs. Fertiliser prices have jumped 50% since 2022, diesel costs remain volatile and labour shortages plague harvests. On the other side, the middlemen take credit of facilitating the farmers by providing them with instant cash for their produce. If the farmers and millers are the visible players, the middlemen, or arthis as called in the local jargon, are the shadowy conductors. They bridge the gap between fields and factories. "Without middlemen, the farmers cannot take their crop to the mills as we handle the logistics," remarked Raja Tariq, a middleman. "Farmers cannot transport cane themselves. We invest in trucks, pay bribe at check posts and manage risks. Our profit is justified," he argued. While the farmers, middlemen and millers have their own stories, there is another player, ie, the wholesaler or middleman of processed sugar. Government officials and market pundits normally attribute the ups and downs in sugar prices to these two elements because they believe they work together in many cases to create artificial shortage or surplus when the sugarcane crop is ready to harvest. A former chairman of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association straightaway rejected the notion that the mills were responsible for creating artificial shortages. "We are living in an era of open market economy where prices are determined on the basis of demand and supply," said the PSMA representative. According to him, currently the retail price of sugar varies; in mega stores the price is around Rs150 per kg whereas in general stores, or grocery shops, the sweetener is available at Rs140. "We cannot rule out illegal storage, but we, the millers, are not responsible for that, the real culprits are big wholesale dealers and government officials know them, this is an administrative issue, why the PSMA is always blamed," he asked. In such scenarios, reforms are often discussed by market analysts and government officials but are rarely implemented. Proposals include direct farmer-miller contracts to bypass the middlemen and subsidies for high-yielding seeds. Some advocate for sugar taxation to fund farmer welfare schemes.
