Utility Stores Sales Plummet by Rs. 10 Billion During Ramadan

The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) failed to meet its sales target as it lost Rs. 10 billion in sales during Ramadan this year. The USC had set a sales target of Rs. 26 billion for Ramadan this year but sales only reached Rs. 16 billion. The USC registered sales of Rs. 26 billion last year during Ramadan. The decline in this year’s sales was due to untimely purchases, the unavailability of items, and a 30 percent surge in commodity prices this year. Ghee was sold for Rs. 170 per kg, sugar for Rs. 68 per kg, and flour for Rs. 800 (20 kg bag) in the last financial year. However, ghee was sold at Rs. 260 per kg, sugar at Rs. 85 per kg and Rs. 75 per kg, and 20 kg bag of flour at Rs. 950 and Rs. 800 this year. The rise in prices caused a decline in sales as the consumers were not ready to buy commodities at increased rates and this led to a decline in sales, sources said.