KARACHI: Makers of roti, naan, sheermal and taftan have increased prices by Rs2-Rs10 per piece in the city, thus multiplying the woes of consumers, who are already depressed by soaring rates of essential food items.

“Please! Do not argue.” This is a clear message pasted at a shop for the customers near Gulberg Chowrangi, Federal B. Area. The owner of the shop said he had increased the price of chapati by Rs2 to Rs12 followed by Rs5 hike in sheermal and taftan to Rs45 and kulcha to Rs35. He added that he had kept naan price unchanged at Rs15 per piece.

Consumer Rehan Islam said he had purchased naan at Rs18 per piece on Friday and sheermal at Rs60 per piece from a big shop at Gulistan-e-Jauhar, showing a jump of Rs3 in naan and Rs10 in sheermal.

Salman Mian, a tandoor owner in Ranchor Line, said tandoor operators have started passing on the impact of rising cost of production due to substantial jump in rates of power, gas, flour, sugar, milk, etc in the last one year. Like past practice, many owners would follow the suit depending on their daily business turnover. He said some tandoor owners had initially increased Rs5 on sheermal and taftaan to Rs55.

In some areas rates of sheermal, taftaan increased by Rs5 to Rs55 apiece

Justifying price increase, he said the rate of flour has swelled to Rs3,760 from Rs2,390 per 50kg bag last year while sugar is now at Rs5,450 per 50kg bag as compared to Rs3,600 a year back.

He said a 25kg full cream milk bag now costs Rs13,500 as compared to Rs8,300 while gas tariff had increased to over Rs1,280 per mmBtu (commercial) from Rs700 two years back. Power tariff had jumped to Rs31.50 per unit from Rs28 last year. The 16kg ghee tin is now tagged at Rs5,250 as compared to Rs2,650 a year back.

He said plastic shopper and old newspapers’ waste (raddi) prices have also risen sharply.

In August 2018, a chapati was available at Rs8-10 followed by naan at Rs12 and sheermal/taftaan at Rs35 per piece depending on the weight.

In the absence of any monitoring mechanism, tandoor operators in various areas have kept low weight of different varieties of roti despite having increased their prices.

Mr Salman was of the view that the weight of naan should range between 175-180 grams followed by 235-240 grams for sheermal/taftaan and 120 grams for chappati.

However, some roti makers at Burns Road are selling chapati at Rs7 only.

“I will raise the price to Rs8 in a few days due to rising gas and flour prices,” a chapati maker at Burns Road told Dawn, adding that he has been selling the chapati at this rate for the last one and a half years.

He disagreed that he has been using low-grade flour to provide low priced chapati. “One can check my roti weight and quality with high price roti,” he added.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2021