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       KARACHI: Despite government assertions of a downward inflationary trend, the prices of essential kitchen items like flour, ghee, and cooking oil have continued to rise.

       Retailers said the prices of branded 5-kg and 10-kg fine flour bags have risen by Rs50 and Rs100, respectively. Customers are paying Rs630-650 for a five-kg branded fine flour compared to Rs570-600 a week earlier, while a 10-kg bag sells at Rs1,200-1,300 compared to Rs1,100-1,200.

       The price of flour no. 2.5, fine and super fine flour has also gone up by an average Rs10 per kg.

       A miller said that the 100 kg wheat bag rate in the open market had increased to Rs8,200 from Rs7,700, forcing the millers to raise the prices of flour varieties.

       Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA) Chairman Sheikh Umer Rehan said the price of ghee and cooking oil increased by Rs40 per litre/kg due to a sudden jump in palm oil rates on the world markets by $200 to $1,100 per tonne.

       The government, he said, charges an average Rs9,500 per tonne as customs duty on the import of palm oil and palm olein. From imports to sale stages, the tax incidence comes to Rs100 per kg/litre in ghee and cooking oil, of which Rs60 is general sales tax.

       Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2024