Egg price up by Rs28 per dozen, tea by Rs261 per kg

Rawalpindi
The prices of eggs and tea have been continuously soaring since the start of the winter season without any check on part of the authorities. The egg price has shot up by Rs28 per dozen in two days, while the tea rate has gone up by Rs261 per kilogram in the open market and at the government-run Utility Stores Corporation (USC) outlets.
These days, one dozen eggs are being sold for Rs100 against Rs72 in the wholesale market, while in retail shops their price ranges between Rs105 and Rs110 per dozen.
A senior officer of a multinational company, on the condition of anonymity, told ‘The News’ that once again the tea price would jump in a couple of days. It may be fixed at Rs875 for 950-gram tea pack against Rs856, he warned.
After increasing the rates of packed and open tea, all hotels and ‘dhabas’ have increased the rate of a cup of tea. A cup of tea is available in hotels and tea stalls for Rs25 against its previous rate of Rs15-20.
Rawalpindi Hotels Association (RHA) Joint Secretary Hamid Nawaz said that the price of a cup of tea has been increased. He complained that nobody asks companies which are increasing tea prices. “In this situation, we cannot sell a cup of tea at the rate of Rs15,” he said.
The local tea blenders have raised the prices of all brands of tea on their own by Rs261 per 950-gram pack from Rs595 to Rs856. Similarly, the price of open tea has also gone up.
The local tea blenders have increased tea prices three times. They first increased the price of tea by Rs61 for 950-gram pack from Rs595 to Rs656 and a week after Eidul Azha by Rs150 and fixed rates of 950-gram tea at Rs806. In third phase, the local blenders once again increased the prices of tea by Rs50 from Rs806 to Rs856. Now, people are buying tea of all brands at high prices from open market and USC outlets.
All Pakistan Tea Wholesale Dealers Association Senior Representative Israr Ahmed admitted all facts and figures and told ‘The News’ that tea prices have increased due to high demand in the winter season. He also claimed that they are facing shortage of tea nowadays, therefore, prices are increasing continuously.
Utility Stores Corporation Senior Manager (Stores) Muhammad Waheed admitted that tea prices have increased too much. He said that overall tea prices have increased by Rs261 per 950-gram pack. "The customers are continuously lodging complaints with us but we are totally helpless in this matter," he said.
He said that tea prices would further increase as multinational companies are planning to fix Rs875 rate for 950-gram tea pack.
The price of Kenyan tea, after remaining under pressure from the start this year, has climbed to $4.5 to $5 per kg now from $3.55 in June, while it was around $3 per kg in January, a tea packer, on condition of anonymity, said. The price hike in Kenya was one of the main reasons behind rise in domestic tea prices, he said, adding that there was a shortage of 50 million kilograms of tea in Kenya due to low crop.
When we talk about egg price, some two days back, eggs were being sold at the rate of Rs72 per dozen, but now the egg price soared by Rs28 and it is being sold at Rs100 per dozen in the wholesale market.
Similarly, restaurants are selling a boiled egg for Rs20 against Rs15 and a fried one for Rs25 against Rs18.
Rawalpindi Egg Wholesale Dealers Association General Secretary Amjad Abbasi said that the egg price has increased because of a wide gap between its supply and demand in the winter season. He said that egg is not a local production and all poultry farms are located in far-off areas. “We bear huge transportation charges to bring eggs to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. We cannot maintain supply of eggs in the winter season and sometimes we have to bear their shortage in the peak winter season, therefore, their price is continuously rising,” he added. In coming days, egg prices will increase further, he warned. Special Price Magistrate Malik Noor Zaman said that they were taking action against profiteers.