The unrelenting surge in sugar prices across Pakistan is intensifying the financial burden on the average consumer, with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reporting that the maximum price for sugar has reached a new record high of PKR 229 per kilogram in the country.
The PBS report highlighted that the city of Quetta experienced the most dramatic spike, where the price increased by PKR 19 per kg in just one week, climbing from PKR 210 to PKR 229 per kg. Consequently, citizens in Quetta are currently forced to purchase sugar at the nation’s most expensive rate.
Prices remain exceptionally high in other major metropolitan areas as well. The maximum price in Peshawar stands at PKR 200 per kg, while in Karachi and Islamabad it is recorded at up to PKR 195 per kg.
Although the report noted a marginal weekly decrease of PKR 2.01 in the national average price, bringing it down to PKR 185.47 per kg, the more alarming long-term trend is the inflation over the past year. Twelve months ago, the national average price for sugar was only PKR 132.24 per kg, indicating an approximate 40 percent increase, which reflects the challenges facing government price control measures.
