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Express Tribune
20-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Retailers threaten sugar sale halt amid price hike
As the wholesale price of sugar has witnessed a continuous hike, the Grocery Merchants Association has announced that if the Punjab government and local administration fail to reduce the ex-mill wholesale price of sugar, all grocery retailers across Punjab will stop selling sugar from next week. Sugar prices in the open market have surged by Rs20 per kg, reaching Rs180 per kg. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the association's president, Saleem Parvez Butt, said that the government has fixed the official retail price of sugar at Rs164 per kg, but sugar is now being supplied by mills at a wholesale rate of Rs174 per kg. He explained that additional costs, including loading, unloading, transportation, shopping bags, and wastage, amount to approximately Rs10 per kg. This means that purchasing sugar at Rs174 per kg and selling it at Rs164 per kg is financially unfeasible for retailers. Butt further added that the Rawalpindi Division and Islamabad District do not produce sugar and have no sugar mills of their own. Local dealers procure sugar from other regions where mills are located. With the new budget approaching, if prices remain unchecked, sugar could reach Rs200 per kg. The Central Grocery Association of Punjab has issued a clear warning to both the federal and provincial governments that if they continue to pressure retailers instead of controlling the sugar mill mafia and enforcing the official ex-mill rates, then millions of retailers across Punjab will suspend sugar sales entirely.
Express Tribune
21-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Traders defy official sugar price
The Kiryana Merchants Association (KMA) has rejected the government's newly set ex-mill, wholesale, and retail sugar prices, calling them unrealistic and demanding a reasonable wholesale price. The association has sought a profit margin of Rs15 per kilogramme after covering costs. According to the association, sugar is not available anywhere in the city at the wholesale rate of Rs159 per kg. Due to the lack of checks and balances, sugar is being sold for Rs180 per kg in the open market. The association's president, Saleem Parvez Butt, and provincial secretary-general Rizwan Shaukat, explained that the ex-mill price of sugar is Rs159 per kg. After factoring in transportation costs, the price of sugar from the mills to the Rawalpindi district comes to Rs165.50 per kg at the wholesale level. Due to factors like labour, loading, unloading, packaging, and weight discrepancies, sugar costs Rs168 per kg for local grocers, he said and questioned how they could sell sugar at Rs164 per kg when they are buying it at Rs168. This is impossible. Butt urged the Deputy Commissioner (DC) to calculate the actual expenses from the ex-mills price to the retail shops in the Rawalpindi district and set the price accordingly. To do this, a joint meeting of the district administration, the price control committee, wholesale dealers, and the KMA should be convened to determine the real price of sugar. If this is not done, the association could halt both wholesale and retail sugar sales. The association warned that sugar mills and the administration could sell sugar directly, but the wholesalers would stop the open market sales altogether. In the city centre, sugar is being sold for Rs180 per kg, while in surrounding areas, it has reached Rs190 per kg.
Express Tribune
17-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Traders threaten strike over govt-set prices
RAWALPINDI: The Grocery Merchants Association has announced a complete halt in the sale of all essential grocery items with government-mandated prices from April 1. However, in respect of Ramazan and Eidul Fitr, the protest has been postponed until after the festival. The government has refused to accept the association's demands, according to its president, Saleem Parvez Butt. He stated that while officials were presented with their grievances, they appeared powerless to take action. "There has never been a proper mechanism to regulate the prices of essential commodities in Pakistan's 77-year history," Butt said. "Retailers already operate on minimal profit margins. For example, we are given a mere Rs3 profit per kilogram of sugar, while transportation and handling costs amount to Rs12 per kg. This is unsustainable." The association has vowed to escalate protests in April. In the first phase, all government-regulated items, including sugar, will be completely withdrawn from sale. "Let the Deputy Commissioners set up stalls outside their offices to sell these products," Butt added.
