Another frugal Ramazan

The act of fasting during the holiest month is two-pronged: Ramazan is undoubtedly a month of blessings. Muslims around the country wait for the spirituality and festivities that come with the holy month. Yet, in our country, there is always more to offer as the people anticipate and correctly predict a surge in the prices of food items.

Such inflation, be it ‘artificial’ or real, begins in the pre-Ramazan period as sellers rightly predict the rise in demand for certain food items during the months of Rajab and Sha’aban which then follows through in Ramazan. Ibrahim Ali, a vegetable seller at the New Dhoraji market, told Bol News that he sells a variety of vegetables including those that are traditionally not available in our region. “I sell most vegetables that the people need including radish, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes and even the ones seen by the locals as unusual such as broccoli and green beans. I do this all year round”, he said.

Speaking about the frugality during the food season in Ramazan, and its ‘consequences’ on the lower-income segment of society, he stated, “What I have observed each year is that the middlemen have the same excuse every year of a ‘shortage’ in the whole market and they use this as a pretext to jack up food prices during the pre-Ramazan period. Certain food items sell really well during the months of Rajab and Sha’aban and they are well-prepared to manipulate the local food market during this season”, he also said.

As fruits and vegetable sellers in this neighbourhood, we completely understand and empathise with the people’s basic needs, he expressed. “Many of these people are like my brothers and sisters who have been shopping here for many years. And we try our level best to maintain the same prices that are given to us. Sometimes during bargains, the rates may go up and down but we make sure that all incoming customers are sold food items at similar, if not same rates. At least my stall makes this kind of effort”, he claimed.

We do not cheat on the weighing scale as the buyers often allege, the vegetable seller also claimed. “If there is artificial inflation, then the wholesale suppliers and the capitalist farmers who have hijacked the food industry are at fault for this mess, not us”, he pointed out.

Ali commented that nowadays, even the slightest ‘excuse’ will cause prices of essentials to surge and many customers have also accepted this new reality. “The customers repeatedly express frustration and become jittery but do not refrain from buying for their families”, he said.

Only the people of lower-income backgrounds, who rely on the cheapest rates of fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products, are suffering the ‘consequences’, he elaborated. “They fight for their very survival, a living condition created for them by these market manipulators as well as the affluent buyers whose buying actions largely affects demand and prices”, he also said.

He explained that the sellers in the market are bound to ‘follow the rules’. “I also fast for 30 days during the holy month and work in the scorching heat with no government provisions for pay or any other meaningful facility. But when it comes to this never-ending inflation, we are just doing our job as per the government rules. We do not know what side we are on; we are simply selling essentials”.

According to the press release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation for February 2022, the month-on-month CPI inflation increased by 1.15 per cent over January 2022. The urban CPI recorded an increase of 0.93pc while the rural CPI recorded an increase of 1.48pc.

Moreover, under the ‘food and non-alcoholic beverages’ category, the latest national index for inflation stood at 166.31pc against a weight of 34.58pc. This was reportedly a 2.52pc increase in national monthly inflation. In addition to this, the urban index for the same month increased by 2.26pc while the rural inflation index increased by 2.81pc.

Furthermore, the national price change for perishable food items rose by 14.03pc with a 14.69pc increase in urban areas and a 13.26pc increase in rural areas.

Bol News reached out to two bakery workers, Yousuf Ahmed and Rahil Saleem, to learn about their professional experiences during the peak season of Ramazan when sale of items such as samosas, pakoras and rolls are at their highest annually. Ahmed stated, “In this spiritual month, we already have a major responsibility of frying the popular edibles as well as packing it with utmost hygiene and standardised packaging”.

We are efficient at the job yet we have to remain vigilant as the food we serve in this locality is served to hundreds of households each day during this holy month, he explained. “The duty we complete while fasting ourselves is itself a form of worship. Our working hours do not matter as much as the management of those hours and tasks does. Some tasks are a must in off-peak hours while others are mandatory during the two hours prior to breaking of the fast”, he told Bol News.

We have to be extra vigilant at this time to ensure quality, hygiene and efficiency, he added. “There are also beggars around us while we are working and we are not sure who is a genuinely poor person and who might possibly steal food. So, we have to be careful and this adds to the work-related stress. Our sweat and blood is put into delivering these high-quality snacks”, he also said.

This year we are also trying to diversify by adding new items that are often sold at the city’s top bakeries, he apprised. “The customers often complain that we have been left far behind by the top bakeries because they add new items to the menu each year so we are also trying our hands on that front”, he also apprised.

Saleem stated, “We have to be ultra-fast in our work and there is absolutely no scope for errors. Fast-food workers have to be efficient no matter what happens. From receiving the uncooked items from the supplier trucks to delivering neat and clean, packed foods to the customers, everything needs to be managed efficiently”.

We also have to manage our time, energy and stress while completing our day-to-day work, he said candidly. “This is our work ethic and this is also what is expected from workers across the city’s bakeries.”

Fatimah Mehmood, who buys fruits and dried fruit throughout the season, stated that she often visits this bazaar with her three children. “Each year is the same story but we also manage our expenses and wants accordingly. We have to realise first and foremost that this is a month of blessings. A few black sheep should not ruin the spirit of the holy month”, she said. We citizens create the demand of what the sellers have to offer, she elaborated. “So why not make our demands at a collective level?”

Moreover, she opined, we must shift our focus towards worshipping and do better for the society. “The rich realise that this is a month to give more and more in charity and help improve the wellbeing of the poor and needy. So, there is no need to create any fuss or chaos about what the situation of inflation is unless we can do so through proper channels first”, she emphasized.

The only thing we should really be angry about is how the most vulnerable social classes cannot even feed themselves during sehr and iftar due to the inflationary crises in their small towns, she stressed.