ISLAMABAD: According to the results of an official meeting, senior provincial administration officials in Punjab and Balochistan appeared oblivious to the significant profiteering occurring in their provinces, even though the difference between the wholesale and retail prices of a few essential commodities alarmingly widened to 133%.
According to statistics provided at a National Price Monitoring Committee meeting on Thursday, the chief secretary of Punjab only checked in to a price support decision dashboard three times in the last month, whereas the top secretary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa did so 88 times.
The monitoring committee, led by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, was informed of the login activity that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) had been keeping an eye on from March 5 to April 4.
The data provided to the committee showed that there were significant discrepancies between wholesale and retail prices due to the lack of monitoring of 256 goods.
While the top secretary of Sindh logged in 17 times in the last month, the chief secretary of Balochistan did not bother to log in at all.
In several areas of Punjab and Sindh, the situation was similar for deputy commissioners, as bureaucrats failed to keep an eye on prices in order to make informed choices and prevent profiteering.
According to official records, the deputy commissioners of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Sialkot, Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, and Multan did not log in during the previous month.
“All provincial governments are required to enhance their price monitoring systems in accordance with the directives of the federal cabinet,” the planning ministry said in a statement. According to Ahsan Iqbal, senior provincial administrators need to make sure they actively participate in the next PBS sessions, which will take place at provincial headquarters from April 16–28.
The deputy commissioner of Islamabad only logged in five times in a single month, which led to significantly higher pricing for necessities in his district.
According to the planning ministry, PBS displayed concerning wholesale-retail pricing disparities that surpassed 20% in major cities, with some variances, like those for potatoes and onions in Karachi and Quetta, exceeding 100%.
In Quetta, there was a 133.3% discrepancy between the wholesale and retail prices of potatoes, 50% for onions, 40% for tomatoes, and 35% for poultry.
The difference between the retail and wholesale prices of potatoes was 25%, tomatoes 30%, and onions 60% in Lahore, the home of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. The Lahore deputy commissioner hasn’t logged in for the previous month, while the Punjab chief secretary last accessed the dashboard on March 19.
The retail costs of onions and gram pulses in Rawalpindi were 51% more than those in the wholesale market. The retail price of potatoes was 53% higher than the wholesale market in Peshawar, where the deputy commissioner chose not to utilize the price support scheme.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) saw price differences of 43% for tomatoes, 54% for lentils, and 64% for onions. In Karachi, retail prices for potatoes were 100% higher than wholesale prices, and prices for onions were 106% higher.
In order to enable efficient action, the price monitoring committee determined that PBS will provide the provincial and district governments with comprehensive market-wise data of pricing disparities. Along with presenting past and present price trends for kitchen items in relation to Eidul Azha, PBS will also provide a three-month demand-supply trend projection for important items for Ramadan and Eid.
According to the planning ministry, the ICT administration and provincial governments would improve monitoring systems to combat hoarding and profiteering and will take tough measures against offenders.
At the following meeting, the food ministry will provide a detailed strategy for setting up cold chains for chicken and vegetable processing facilities as well as for creating plans for crop mixing and land optimization. In order to lessen dependency on imports and stabilize prices, it will also suggest a strategy for encouraging edible oil production.
PBS informed the conference that while banana prices rose earlier in the month, prices for chicken, potatoes, and onions skyrocketed in the last week. The minister emphasized the need to switch to frozen chicken, a global standard that guarantees more price consistency, while pointing out the volatility in poultry pricing.
Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the necessity of a thorough yearly price pattern as well as the creation of a strong demand-supply mechanism for times of high consumption, especially during Eid, Ramadan, and other holidays.
He gave the pertinent ministries instructions to coordinate efforts to stabilize supply chains, and he suggested that the next meeting concentrate especially on Eidul Azha preparations.
To lessen tomato price swings, he suggested increasing the manufacturing of tomato paste. At the following meeting, he demanded an analysis of the price disparity between Islamabad’s urban and rural areas.
The minister criticized the lack of a national board for processing vegetables and edible oils, voicing worry about the absence of institutional frameworks for important agricultural products. In order to establish production goals, import requirements, and supply routes for important crops like rice, wheat, and sugarcane, he emphasized the urgent necessity for a land optimization strategy.
He promoted industrial processing of vegetables like tomatoes and emphasized the value of cold chains for perishable goods. He called on the food ministry to create a roadmap for the best use of land and crop mixing, as well as an outcome-based plan to encourage local production of heavily imported goods, particularly edible oil.
For the latest updates and insights on new developments, visit the NEWSON
Q1.What is the current disparity between wholesale and retail prices in Pakistan?
The disparity between wholesale and retail prices of essential commodities in several regions has reached as high as 133%, especially in cities like Quetta and Karachi.
Q2. Which provinces have shown poor price monitoring performance?
According to the National Price Monitoring Committee, Punjab and Balochistan exhibited the weakest oversight. Top officials and deputy commissioners in many districts failed to log in to the price support dashboard regularly.
Q3. How often did provincial officials log in to the dashboard?
-
Punjab Chief Secretary: Only 3 times in one month
-
Balochistan Chief Secretary: 0 logins
-
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Secretary: 88 logins
-
Sindh Secretary: 17 logins
-
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner: 5 logins
Q4. What cities had the highest retail price disparities?
-
Quetta: Potatoes 133.3%, Onions 50%, Tomatoes 40%, Poultry 35%
-
Lahore: Onions 60%, Tomatoes 30%, Potatoes 25%
-
Rawalpindi: Gram pulses 51%, Onions 51%
-
Peshawar: Potatoes 53%
-
Islamabad: Tomatoes 43%, Lentils 54%, Onions 64%
-
Karachi: Potatoes 100%, Onions 106%
Q5. What steps are being taken to curb profiteering?
The Planning Ministry has directed all provincial governments to:
-
Strengthen price monitoring systems
-
Attend upcoming PBS sessions (April 16–28)
-
Improve cold chain infrastructure for poultry and vegetables
-
Develop demand-supply projections and stabilize prices ahead of Eidul Azha
Q6. What are the future plans to stabilize food prices?
-
Encouraging frozen chicken to reduce volatility
-
Developing a cold chain and food processing infrastructure
-
Promoting local edible oil production
-
Creating crop mixing strategies and land optimization policies
-
Tracking urban-rural price gaps, especially in Islamabad
