LAHORE: Punjab has developed a new mechanism to regulate the prices of essential food items, including vegetables, fruits, meat, and milk, as announced by Salma Butt, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Food Safety. The initiative aims to ensure the provision of affordable food items to the public, reflecting the provincial government’s commitment to consumer protection.
According to Directorate General Public Relation – Govt of Punjab, the announcement was made during the Price Control Council’s second meeting, co-chaired by Punjab Agriculture Minister Ashiq Hussain Kirmani and Salma Butt. The meeting was attended by several high-ranking officials, including Chairman PAMRA Malik Ahmad Saeed Khan, MPA Farzana Abbas, and Director General Enforcement Imran Qureshi.
Salma Butt emphasized the implementation of stringent measures to curb fake inspection entries and enhance the performance of price control magistrates. Modifications in the “Qeemat App” now require magistrates to use live location geotagging and upload a selfie during inspections. Inspections between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. have been prohibited to ensure transparency.
The council reviewed the work of 1,635 price control magistrates across Punjab, highlighting millions of inspections conducted from 2023 to August 2026. The meeting reported fines amounting to tens of millions of rupees for overpricing and inadequate display of official rate lists, resulting in thousands of arrests and shop closures.
Butt also discussed ongoing efforts to monitor the prices of staple foods such as naan, roti, and chicken, with swift actions taken against law violations. A proposal is under consideration to restructure the appeal committee under amendments to the Securities and Price Control law, setting a 15-day period for filing appeals on commodity prices.
She noted a significant decline in the prices of tomatoes and potatoes, while prices of sugar, flour, cooking oil, poultry, and pulses remained stable over the last six months. Despite a slight increase in onion prices due to seasonal factors, 64 percent of the supply continues from Balochistan.