ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday directed authorities to monitor prices of essential food items ahead of Ramadan to prevent artificial price hikes and consumers from getting exploited, his office said. 

Pakistani increasingly shop for essential food items during the holy month of Ramadan, as millions across the country fast from dawn till sunset. Prices of essential food items surge during the holy month every year as traders often indulge in hoarding and profiteering. 

Dar chaired a meeting to review the availability and prices of essential commodities across the country on Tuesday, his office said. 

“DPM/FM [foreign minister] directed federal & provincial authorities to continue close monitoring, particularly in view of the approaching month of Ramazan, to prevent any artificial price hike or exploitation of consumers by unscrupulous elements,” Dar’s office said in a statement.

A central moon sighting committee in Pakistan, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, determines when Ramadan begins. The Islamic month is expected to start this year after mid-February, around Feb. 17 or Feb. 18.

Pakistan’s government also announces subsidies for the masses during the holy month to lower the prices of essential food items. 

In 2024, the Shehbaz Sharif-led government announced a Ramadan package comprising a subsidy of $26.8 million (Rs7.5 billion) to lower the prices of essential items for over 30,96,00,000 families.