PoK: Price hikes in Gilgit-Baltistan make life difficult for traders during Ramzan

Uncontrolled inflation in Pakistan is now becoming a matter of concern for citizens in Pakistan, especially during the ongoing month of Ramzan .

As of now, the people of the country face two-sided trouble, where on one side, Ramzan is a month when the demand in the markets increases because of the festivities, but the skyrocketing price is not letting the general public spare money for buying essentials.
A trader stated, “I was here in the market to purchase in bulk for my shop, but the costs of all the things are beyond my reach. Many shops including my own now run empty. Prices of some things have even risen by 1000 per cent, not only us traders but also the public are very frustrated with how to manage the essentials.”

A customer who had come to the market to buy fruits, lamenting over the situation said, “The rates of necessities on the Bachat Counter (BC) are more than what we are getting in these bulk shops. The rates that have been pre-decided by the administration are more than what we can afford. The cost at which essentials like sugar and rice are being sold by the BC is at least 10 to 20 rupees more than what we are able to arrange.”

Manzoor Husain, another vegetable trader at the bulk vegetable market in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) a major city stated, “Ramadan brings a usual price hike every year, as the demand in the bulk market rises. A quantity generally doubles or even triples in the market.”

“The vegetables that we get form other major bulk markets is already overpriced, and not much is left with us after sales. We are selling onions at PKR 280 per kg and tomatoes are selling PKR 180 per kg. The roads here also get frequently damaged, disrupting the supply and destroying our goods, leaving us even lesser profits and income,” he added.

Husain also mentioned a so-called Bachat counter (Subsidised shop) but he stated that too can give very minimalistic relief.
“Us traders are also trying to give relief to the people for the month, we are currently sacrificing PKR ten per kg from our side so that the people can purchase the essential commodities,” he said.

The month of Ramzan has barely started and the costs of essentials is already on the rise amid an increase in demand.
A bulk trader when questioned about the effect of price rise on the merchant community said “We ourselves have to buy things in bulk from the Islamabad market, our orders which previously used to cost us PKR 10 lakh has now risen up to PKR 18 lakh-20 lakhs. The traders are themselves concerned about how to make such huge payments to our creditors.”

“The cost of all the things has risen. We have to buy things from the markets for our own families, as we are also consumers of the market. However, purchasing things for our families is becoming difficult,” he said. (ANI)