Sugar prices in Peshawar have once again increased public concern.
In several markets across the city the price of sugar has reached up to Rs170 per kilogram and in some areas, it is being sold for as high as Rs200 per kilogram.
It is pertinent to mentioned that over the previous few weeks a general increase of up to Rs25 per kilogram has been recorded in sugar prices.
In the metropolitan just few days ago sugar was available at prices ranging between Rs145 and Rs148 per kilogram.
However, the prices have risen sharply after the imposition of various taxes on sugar coming from Punjab.
“Ahead of Ramadan, traders have begun large-scale hoarding of sugar, a trend that is rapidly spreading across the city and surrounding areas” Shopkeepers say.
After this sharp increase there are fears of more price hikes in the coming days.
Meanwhile, rising sugar prices have most severely affected the lower-middle and low-income groups who are already burdened by inflation.
According to citizens that the rising cost of this basic daily-use commodity is creating serious difficulties for them.
Pakistan’s weekly inflation edges up as food prices surge
Pakistan’s weekly inflation rose slightly last month, increasing by 0.24 percent compared to the previous week, while showing a 3.75 percent rise compared to the same period last year, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported.
According to the weekly SPI report, out of 51 essential items tracked, prices of 17 items went up, 14 items fell, and 20 remained stable.
Chicken saw the sharpest weekly increase at 11.11 percent, followed by chilli powder (3.08%), eggs (2.88%), and shirting fabric (1.64%). Other items registering modest rises included firewood, cooking oil, mustard oil, energy saver bulbs, pulse moong, and beef.
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