Prices of kitchen items in Peshawar show mixed trend

Business Recorder's weekly survey of Peshawar's retail market on Sunday found a mixed picture for kitchen staples, although many everyday goods, including flour, sugar, eggs, chicken and vegetables, reached new highs in open markets. Live chicken sold for Rs375 per kilogramme, while cow meat without bone reached Rs1350 per kilogramme, well above the official Rs900 rate. Mutton was priced between Rs2800 and Rs3000 per kg.

Traders in Peshawar linked higher flour prices to restrictions on shipments from Punjab into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and expect further increases. A 20-kg flour bag rose to Rs3200 at wholesale, while an 80-kg sack climbed to Rs14000 from Rs13000 at wholesale. Onion sold between Rs180 and Rs200 per kilogramme, up from Rs80-100, while tomatoes were steady at Rs400 per kilogramme after an earlier sharp rise in the capital.

Sugar stayed at Rs152 per kilogramme, pulse rates held steady at retail level, and cooking oil and ghee prices kept an upward trend across brands. Good quality sela rice cost Rs360 per kilogramme, while gram flour reached Rs420 per kilogramme, up from Rs280. Apples ranged from Rs400 to Rs500 per kilogramme, and LPG costs stayed elevated in open-market trade.