Tea packers have stunned consumers with another fee hike amid an extraordinary rise in the cost of living due to skyrocketing power costs and food prices.
The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ending September 29 reported a price of Rs357 for a Lipton 190-gram box, up from Rs290 in the first week of the month. In May, the bundle cost Rs260, and in July, it cost Rs290.
Tea costs have risen by at least Rs150-200 per kilogramme since July, according to retailers.
Even though packers show the retail rate on the box, some savvy merchants are placing fresh price labels on old goods to earn a quick profit.
According to an importer, the market price for one kilogramme (unbranded tea) is Rs1,100, up Rs50 in the previous month but still lower than branded bags.
According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics statistics, the government imported 36,714 tonnes of black tea worth $92 million in 2MFY23, compared to 47,170 tonnes worth $103 million the previous year.
The average per tonne price of tea in the latest 2MFY23 was $2,503, up from $2,186 in the previous quarter.
