KARACHI: Shopkeepers across Pakistan have sharply increased prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), flour, pulses, chicken, meat and milk, adding to the financial burden on consumers.
LPG prices have reached Rs600 per kilogram in several cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Quetta. The price of a domestic LPG cylinder has climbed to Rs7,000.
In Lahore, the official LPG price is Rs280 per kilogram, but retailers are charging as much as Rs550, according to the report.
Chicken prices in Karachi have risen to Rs750 per kilogram, while wheat flour is selling for Rs190 per kilogram in Karachi and Lahore. In Quetta, a 20-kilogram bag of flour has reached Rs3,330.
The wheat shortage in Balochistan has also worsened, with a 50-kilogram flour bag costing more than Rs8,000 in Khuzdar, Chagai, Washuk, Kech and other districts.
Despite approval from the provincial cabinet, the Balochistan government has yet to complete its planned wheat procurement. Sources said the government intended to purchase 575,000 bags of wheat but had bought fewer than 100,000 bags so far.
In Quetta, prices of vegetables, meat and milk have also increased by as much as 20%, further straining household budgets.
Earlier, Residents of Karachi are paying the highest prices for flour in Pakistan, with a 20-kilogram bag costing Rs3,540 after an increase of Rs140, according to documents from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The data showed that flour prices had risen sharply in several cities, with Faisalabad recording an increase of Rs800 per 20-kg bag, taking the price to Rs3,000.
In Khuzdar, the price increased by Rs400 to Rs3,400, while Larkana recorded a rise of Rs300 to Rs3,200. In Hyderabad, the price went up by Rs280 to Rs3,480.
In Quetta, a 20-kg bag of flour became Rs190 more expensive, reaching Rs3,220. In Sukkur, the price increased by Rs140 to Rs3,200.
In Punjab, the price of a 20-kg bag stood at Rs2,933 in Sargodha. In Multan, it rose by Rs66 to Rs2,933, while Bahawalpur recorded an increase of Rs40, taking the price to Rs3,000.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, flour was selling for Rs3,300 per 20-kg bag in Peshawar and Rs3,200 in Bannu.
