Tag: tea

  • Pakistan imports tea worth Rs31.64 billion in just two months 

    Pakistan imports tea worth Rs31.64 billion in just two months 

    According to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Pakistan’s imports of food items in the first two months of the fiscal year 2023–24 amounted to Rs378.98 billion. 

    The PBS data reveals that during this two-month period, Pakistan imported tea worth Rs31.64 billion, a notable increase from Rs20.23 billion during the corresponding period in the previous year.  

    Additionally, Pakistan imported palm oil valued at Rs158.7 billion and soybean oil worth Rs13.56 billion. 

    Furthermore, Pakistan imported pulses worth Rs48.25 billion and dry fruits valued at over Rs2 billion during the same two-month period. 

    It is worth noting that in July, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) lifted all import restrictions as part of its efforts to meet the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

    Read more: Pakistani rupee gains value, now at Rs292.78 per US dollar 

    The central bank issued a circular to abolish these import restrictions and authorised banks to facilitate remittances to clear more than 6,000 containers. 

    The SBP clarified in the circular that remittances would be made available for all imports following the implementation of the latest order. 

  • Pakistan’s famous blue-eyed chaiwala opens café in London

    Pakistan’s famous blue-eyed chaiwala opens café in London

    You guys remember the chai wala who went viral internationally after his pictures was shared in 2016 by a photographer Jiah Ali? He went overnight from opening a chai stall in Islamabad, to getting modelling contracts from fashion brands. And now, Arshad Khan is set to make a chai cafe in London, after fans from the UK had requested to taste the karak chai made by the maestro himself.

    The official handle shared by Arshad’s instagram page is @chaiwalauk_ak, and he had shared a video of the design preps to set up the cafe.

    The official website of the page shared that it was Arshad’s love of chai and his hard work that had led him to open three outlets in Pakistan, and now will be opening a cafe in London.

    “Chai has been in his blood (considering the amount of chai that is consumed in South Asia, that could be true!) since he was a young boy – that is all he has seen, smelt and made. From a humble background to a handsome superstar chaiwala overnight, that’s quite some journey! He worked hard, stayed focus and did what he’s best at, which is making amazing chai.

    ‘Cafe Chaiwala Arshad Khan’ has 3 outlets in Pakistan and we are now bringing the first of many international outlets to the UK. Our cafe will immerse you in the traditional ambience with a fusion of culture and elegance. Here you will find a variety of chai with unique ingredients and great tasting food; there is something for everyone.”

    The Instagram page also shared some videos of the cafe and honestly it warms our heart to witness the well deserved reward of a hard working man, who rose from being a street vendor to becoming an international star

  • Weekly inflation increases more than 38% as prices of petrol and food items hit the roof

    Weekly inflation increases more than 38% as prices of petrol and food items hit the roof

    According to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ended February 16, 2023, registered an increase of 2.89 per cent. The rise in inflation can be attributed to an increase in the prices of both food and non-food items.

    Food Items that saw an increase in prices

    The following food items saw a significant increase in prices during the week ended February 16, 2023:

    • Cooking oil 5 litre (8.65 per cent)
    • Vegetable ghee 1kg (8.02 per cent)
    • Bananas (8.01 per cent)
    • Chicken (7.49 per cent)
    • Vegetable ghee 2.5 kgs (6.76 per cent)

    Non-food items that saw an increase in prices

    The following non-food items saw an increase in prices during the week ended February 16, 2023:

    • Petrol (8.82 per cent)
    • Diesel (6.49 per cent)
    • Cigarettes (6.18 per cent)

    Year-on-Year Trend

    The year-on-year trend depicts an increase of 38.42 per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of the following items:

    • Onions (433.44 per cent)
    • Chicken (101.86 per cent)
    • Diesel (81.36 per cent)
    • Eggs (81.22 per cent)
    • Rice irri-6/9 (74.12 per cent)
    • Rice basmati broken (73.05 per cent)
    • Petrol (69.87 per cent)
    • Moong (67.98 per cent)
    • Bananas (67.68 per cent)
    • Tea Lipton (63.89 per cent)
    • Pulse gram (56.93 per cent)
    • Bread (55.36 per cent)
    • Maash (53.42 per cent)
    • LPG (52.68 per cent)
    • Cigarettes (50.02 per cent)

    On the other hand, the prices of tomatoes (65.30 per cent), electricity for q1 (7.50 per cent), and chillies powdered (7.42 per cent) saw a decrease during the same period.

    SPI for the week under review

    The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 234.77 points against 228.17 points registered in the previous week. Out of 51 items, prices of 34 (66.67 per cent) items increased, 05 (9.80 per cent) items decreased and 12 (23.53 per cent) items remained stable.

    SPI for different consumption groups

    The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517, Rs29,518-44,175 and above Rs44,175 consumption group increased by 2.45 per cent, 2.73 per cent, 2.79 per cent, 2.88 per cent, and 2.94 per cent, respectively.

    Items that recorded an increase in average prices

    The following items recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over previous:

    • Petrol super (8.82 per cent)
    • Cooking oil Dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (8.65 per cent)
    • Vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (8.02 per cent)
    • Bananas (8.01 per cent)
    • Chicken (7.49 per cent)
    • Vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (6.76 per cent)
    • Hi-speed diesel (6.49 per cent)
    • Cigarettes Capstan (6.18 per cent)
  • Weekly inflation jumps by over 29% due to rising food prices

    Weekly inflation jumps by over 29% due to rising food prices

    The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ended December 29, recorded a decline of 0.09 per cent due to a reduction in the prices of food and non-food items, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

    The year-on-year trend shows an increase of 29.30 per cent owing to an increase in the prices of onions (498.08 per cent), tea lipton (65.41 per cent), diesel (65.05 per cent), chicken (64.20 per cent), petrol (52.19 per cent), salt powdered (51.99 per cent), eggs (49.11 per cent), pulse moong (46.94 per cent), bananas (45.06 per cent), pulse gram (44.42 per cent) and mustard oil (41.64 per cent), while decrease is observed in the prices of chillies powdered (34.18 per cent), electricity for q1 (13.96 per cent) and gur (1.38 per cent).

    During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 23 (45.10 per cent) items increased, 07 (13.72 per cent) items decreased and 21 (41.18 per cent) items remained stable.

    The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs17,732, Rs17,732-22,888, Rs22,889-29,517 and above Rs44,175 decreased by 0.07 per cent, 0.12 per cent, 0.03 per cent and 0.12 per cent respectively while it increased by 0.02 per cent for the consumption group Rs29,518-44,175.

    The items, which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over previous include eggs (2.86 per cent), rice basmati broken (2.81 per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (2.81 per cent), bread plain (2.76 per cent), firewood whole 40 kg (2.49 per cent), LPG (1.61 per cent), energy saver (1.27 per cent), bananas (1.18 per cent), gur (0.99 per cent), garlic (0.90 per cent), pulse masoor (0.80 per cent), mustard oil (0.72 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (0.60 per cent), pulse mash (0.54 per cent), tea prepared (0.45 per cent), sufi washing soap (0.28 per cent), pulse gram (0.26 per cent), onions (0.25 per cent), curd (0.23 per cent), chicken (0.20 per cent), milk fresh (0.15 per cent), pulse moong (0.12 per cent) and beef with bone (0.02 per cent).

    The items, which saw a reduction in their average prices included potatoes (8.85 per cent), tomatoes (6.02 per cent), electricity charges (2.44 per cent), vegetable ghee dalda/habib (1.47 per cent), sugar (1.22 per cent), vegetable ghee dalda/habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (0.45 per cent) and cooking oil dalda or other similar brand (sn), 5 litre tin each (0.04 per cent).

  • Weekly inflation decreases only 0.58 per cent from record high

    Weekly inflation decreases only 0.58 per cent from record high

    According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ending September 8, 2022, decreased by 0.58 per cent as a result of falling food prices.

    In comparison to the previous week’s record high of 45.50 per cent, the yearly trend shows an increase of 42.70 per cent.

    The year-on-year increase was driven by an increase in prices of tomatoes (144.25 per cent), diesel (114.08 per cent), petrol (98.73 per cent), pulse masoor (76.34 per cent), cooking oil-5 liter (67.99 per cent), mustard oil (66.53 per cent), LPG (64.98 per cent), washing soap (64.50 per cent), electricity for Q1 (63.03 per cent), vegetable ghee-2.5 kg (62.53 per cent), pulse gram (61.02 per cent), onions (59.97 per cent) and vegetable ghee-1 kg (58.19 per cent), while a decrease was observed in the prices of chilies powder (43.42 per cent), sugar (18.07 per cent) and gur (2.08 per cent).

    As per the latest data, the SPI went down from 222.85 per cent during the week ended September 1st 2022 to 221.55 per cent during this week.

    During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 26 items (50.98 per cent) increased, nine items (17.65 per cent) decreased and 16 (31.37 per cent) items remained stable.

    The items which got more expensive include LPG (10.66 per cent), wheat flour (4.15 per cent), eggs (3.96 per cent), bread (3.27 per cent), pulse moong (2.74 per cent), curd (2.72 per cent), tea-lipton (2.50 per cent), pulse gram (1.65 per cent), chicken (1.58 per cent), milk fresh (1.57 per cent), fire wood (1.54 per cent), potatoes (1.02 per cent), and others

    A reduction was observed in the prices of onions (41.99 per cent), tomatoes (8.11 per cent), bananas (2.51 per cent), pulse masoor (1.37 per cent), vegetable ghee-1 kg (0.55 per cent), cooking oil-5 liter (0.33 per cent), mustard oil (0.16 per cent) and vegetable ghee-2.5 kg and sugar (0.11 per cent) each.

    Highest week-on-week decrease

    Onions: 41.99 per cent

    Tomatoes: 8.11 per cent

    Bananas: 2.51 per cent

    Pulse Masoor: 1.37 per cent

    Vegetable ghee (1kg): 0.55 per cent

    Highest week-on-week increase

    LPG: 10.66 per cent

    Flour: 4.15 per cent

    Eggs: 3.96 per cent

    Bread: 3.27 per cent

    Pulse Moong: 2.74 per cent

    Highest year-on-year increase

    Tomatoes: 144.25 per cent

    Diesel: 114.08 per cent

    Petrol: 98.73 per cent

    Pulse Masoor: 76.34 per cent

    Cooking oil (5 litre): 67.99 per cent

  • Ahsan Iqbal’s remarks about cutting down chai consumption make international headlines

    Ahsan Iqbal’s remarks about cutting down chai consumption make international headlines

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal’s recent statement about cutting down on tea has not just taken social media by storm but international media has widely covered his remarks.

    “I appeal to the nation to reduce tea intake by one or two cups daily because we borrow money for tea import as well,” said Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday.

    People in Pakistan urged to drink fewer cups of tea was how BBC covered it.

    CNN’s headline says: Pakistanis told to drink less tea as nation grapples with the economic crisis

    People in Pakistan urged to drink fewer cups of tea, was how Iqbal’s statement was covered by the Saudi Gazette.

    AlJazeera also reported Ahsan Iqbal’s statement: Pakistan minister slammed for ‘drink less tea, save money’ appeal

    Turkish news media outlet TRT also did a story and a video on the same with the title: Pakistan minister stirs controversy with ‘drink less tea, save money’ plea

    Indian media also jumped in and did a news piece with the title: Pak Minister Asks Citizens To Drink Less Tea As Economy Faces Loan Burden: Report

    The Print wrote: ‘First roti, now tea? Pakistan’s angry response to the minister who wants them to drink less

    ABC Australia did a video report on Ahsan’s statement.

    ‘Cutting chai’ | Pakistan Minister urges people to reduce tea consumption, wrote The Hindu.

  • VIDEO: The tea is not fantastic? Ex-PM’s video chiding help goes viral

    A cup of tea served to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif disturbed him during his address via video-link at an event organised by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) media cell.

    “When you knew I was speaking then why did you keep it here,” the clearly perturbed three-time prime minister said in the footage.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/worldofjaved/status/1335591711964344320?s=19

    It is pertinent to mention here that the PML-N in accordance with its social mobilisation plan has announced holding seven workers conventions throughout Punjab to build the momentum for running a decisive movement against the government from the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) platform.

    The decision regarding holding workers conventions was announced during a PML-N Punjab chapter meeting presided over by party provincial President Rana Sanaullah and attended by senior leaders, including all divisional and district presidents and general secretaries.

    On the other hand, Shahbaz Gill, Adviser to PM on Political Communication, shared the footage of Nawaz Sharif with the caption, “Nothing but parchee (script) during the speech.”

    PML-N leader Hina Parvez Butt hit back at Gill, saying, “So, secretly you watch Nawaz’s speeches.”

  • Ahad Raza Mir’s mother reveals his secret chai recipe

    Ahad Raza Mir’s mother reveals his secret chai recipe

    Who knew that national heartthrob Ahad Raza Mir has a secret chai recipe with cinnamon and a dash of coffee?

    Turns out he does and Ahad’s mom shared the recipe on social media so everyone can try it out.

    Ahad also shared his secret recipe in the latest episode of his drama Ehd-e-Wafa. Making a cup of it for Dua, Ahad said that his PMA platoon mates used to call this tea ‘hi-octane’ because it would give a burst of energy.

  • PTI’s Fawad spotted in PPP leader’s car with another friend from PML-N

    PTI’s Fawad spotted in PPP leader’s car with another friend from PML-N

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has been spotted in the car of a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader along with one belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), leaving supporters wondering if “a deal has been struck”.

    According to the details, Fawad on Sunday evening was spotted getting on the car of PPP senator and party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s spokesperson Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. PML-N Senator Musadik Malik and two others also accompanied Fawad and Mustafa as the latter drove to a five-star hotel.

    With Fawad, who has never shied away from training guns at the two major opposition parties — the PML-N and PPP — accompanying the two leaders belonging to the ruling party’s arch rivals, it wasn’t later when speculation ran rife that a deal had been struck between the three largest political parties of the country and there lied no disputes among them whatsoever.

    Amid all rumours, The Current went an extra mile to investigate and figured out that the three leaders had only decided to accompany each other for a cup of tea following “Where is Pakistan heading in the next 10 years” — their session at the recently-concluded two-day Afkare Taza ThinkFest 2020 in Lahore.

    Their bond also dates back to a private media outlet’s show “Khabar K Peechy” where the three represented their respective political parties.