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Thursday March 28, 2024

People at wit’s end trying to cope with rising food prices

By Ibne Ahmad
February 03, 2019

At regular intervals the prices of daily use items witness a sharp rise in the market. Things are not any rosier. Farhat Naqvi from Fazal Town Phase-II feels frustrated and helpless every time she goes to the market or grocery shop: food is becoming just too expensive.

Many reasons are given by retailers, wholesalers and politicians to justify the rise in food prices. Whether it is the general price hike in the international market, high production cost, or even the wrath of rains damaging grains and vegetables, the inevitable outcome is the sky rocketing prices of food.

Rubab Haider from Dhoke Kamaldin says: “I try to adjust to the rise in food prices by being ingenious when preparing daily meals. I add slices of potatoes in cooked rice so that a less amount of rice, which is costlier than the potatoes, is required.”

“I have to be innovative while preparing meals for four of my family members as I cannot spend big amount daily on buying rice. At the same time I cannot ignore its necessity in my daily menu, so I have to think smart,” adds Rubab.

Irum Rizvi from Nazir Colony has almost cut out meat from the daily diet altogether, due to the inordinate rise in its price. She says: “The mind-boggling price of mutton, beef and chicken makes me crazy while I shop in my neighbourhood market. Although I draw quite a decent salary I cannot afford to buy meat at a high price as I have to pay my bills and other utility charges. As a result I have given up on the meat altogether and just stick to the low-cost items like potato and rice. Isn’t it the wise thing to do in this situation?”

“Consumers belonging to middle income groups face a great deal of constraint trying to adjust to the cost of living, especially in terms of managing daily menu. Selling rice and wheat or Ghee/cooking oil through utility stores often has not proved to be good enough to help a poor person like me to afford fish, meat, pulses or vegetables with high prices,” says Eman Ali, a school teacher from Tajabad.

“Wage earners like my husband cannot afford high-priced food items. I can hardly remember the time other than Eid-ul-Azha when my family has eaten meat. I am always at wit’s end trying to cope with rising food prices,” says Sania Zahra from Railway Colony Loi Bher.

Fizza Hussain from Faisal Colony says: “In a country where people spend around seventy percent of their earnings buying food only, people like my family members have no option but to eat less to tackle the raging food prices.”