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Thursday March 28, 2024

Profiteers hoard fruit in cold storages ahead of Ramazan

By Khalid Iqbal
May 17, 2016

Price control proves ineffective in checking practice of hoarding and profiteering in markets

Rawalpindi

The privately run ice factories (cold storages) here in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been hoarded with fruits where hoarders and profiteers stocked all kinds of fruits to loot public in the holy month of Ramazan falling next month. 

The profiteers buying fruits in tones on cheaper prices but have planned to sell them on skyrocketing rates during the holy month of Ramazan, but the city district government, Rawalpindi is watching the whole drama with closed eyes and given profiteers free hand to hoard fruits in large quantity. The city district government, Rawalpindi has completely abandoned addressing public related issues as so-called price magistrates are not visiting markets to monitor profiteers and hoarders. The profiteers are flexing their muscles to loot public by hoarding different fruits like apples, dates, guava, peach, banana, grapes, ‘loquat’, ‘khoobani’ etc in ice factories to sell these items in skyrocketing prices in the holy month of Ramazan. 

The retailers are selling 1-kilogram apple at Rs150 while sub-standard apples at Rs100 per kilogram. Banana will be sold like gold after some days in the holy month of Ramazan as they are already selling at Rs150-180 per dozen while sub-standard banana is being sold at Rs80. The retailers are selling 1-kilogram dates at Rs250-300 while sub-standard dates are being sold at Rs180-200. The retailers are selling 1-kilogram peach at Rs150 while sub-standard at Rs100. Guava at present is not available in market because as it has been put in cold storage for the holy month of Ramazan.

Similarly, hoarders have also packed their godowns with potato sacks and lemon which are widely used in the holy month of Ramazan.

As the holy month of Ramazan comes nearer, the price hike ghost has also come out as the prices of essential commodities have already gone up even few weeks before Ramazan. Besides vegetables and fruits, all basic commodities have witnessed an increase in prices, burdening more the already troubled common man.

A survey conducted by ‘The News’ that there are more than 100 privately run big and small ice factories here in different areas in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad particularly around fruit and vegetables markets.

The ice factory owners on condition of anonymity admitted all facts and figures said that majority of dealers are buying banana and apple to keep them in cold stores. The dealers have bought unripe banana from farmers on low prices to sell them on higher prices in the holy month of Ramazan. They said that hoarders are hoarding some other fruits like guava, peach, dates, Loquat, apricot and lemon as well here in ice factories.

Similarly, the prices of fruits, vegetables, meat, chicken and other daily use items have recorded increase for some days making it difficult for the poor people. 

The city district government, Rawalpindi Special Price Magistrate Sohail Maqbool told ‘The News’ that they will never allow anybody to loot public in the holy month of Ramazan. “We are continuously monitoring profiteers and hoarders for making plans to loot innocent public,” he warned. He said that they would establish ‘Ramazan Sasta Bazaars’ where consumer could buy all items on cheaper prices. The hoarders will bring all fruits in the market, he assured.