Islamabad: prices of kitchen items show rising trend

A Business Recorder survey conducted in Islamabad on Saturday found that essential kitchen goods cost more than the week before. Traders said household staples, from food items to detergents, shampoos and formula milk, have kept climbing for eight months since the Middle East crisis, which worsened when the conflict widened into Yemen and interrupted fuel shipments through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. They estimated that daily-use items had risen by at least 30 to 50 percent since March 2026.

Wholesale chicken eased from Rs14,500 to Rs14,100 per 40kg, while eggs held at Rs7,300 per carton and wholesale sugar stayed at Rs6,800 per 50kg bag. Retail sugar sold between Rs150 and Rs160 per kg, above the Rs140 per kg official price. OGRA set the October LPG price at Rs270 per kg, up from Rs250, yet distributors and retailers in some areas are charging more than double the official rate. A 15kg domestic cylinder is being sold for Rs7,000 against the official Rs4,200, according to the report.

Detergent prices rose from Rs600 to Rs620 per 1kg pack, and a small Lifebuoy shampoo bottle went up from Rs180 to Rs200. Formula milk also became dearer, with a 200-gram pack rising from Rs750 to Rs850. Vegetable prices were mixed, with wholesale tomato, garlic and capsicum rates declining while spinach and eggplant increased.