LPG sold above official rate as prices climb in Lahore and other areas

Lahore: Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is being sold at rates far above the price notified by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), with consumers in Lahore and other parts of the country paying more than Rs450 per kilogram for the fuel.

According to the official rate fixed by OGRA, LPG is priced at Rs304.28 per kg. However, in several localities of Lahore, the commodity is being sold between Rs450 and Rs470 per kg, pushing the market price up by as much as Rs146 per kg over the notified level.

The widening gap between the official and market rates has increased the burden on consumers at a time when households are already facing inflationary pressure. The difference in price has also raised concerns over large-scale profiteering in the LPG market.

The LPG Distributors Association estimates that more than 6,000 metric tonnes of LPG are sold every day in Pakistan, indicating the scale of the issue as higher-than-notified prices continue in the market.

Retailers blame marketing companies

Retailers have rejected the suggestion that they are responsible for the sharp increase in prices. They say LPG marketing companies are supplying the product to them at already inflated rates, leaving little room to sell it at the official price.

One shopkeeper said he had bought LPG at Rs443 per kg and questioned how it could then be sold at Rs304. He also alleged that enforcement action is usually directed at small vendors, while larger players continue profiteering

with both hands

The reported pricing pattern suggests that the burden of the increase is being passed down the supply chain to end users, who are ultimately paying significantly more than the regulator’s notified rate.

Consumers feel the pressure

The impact of the higher LPG prices is being felt most sharply by ordinary citizens. For many low-income users, the increase has made an essential household fuel even less affordable.

Among those affected are transport workers and daily wage earners already struggling with reduced incomes. Rickshaw driver Usman Kashif said the situation had made even basic survival difficult, as fewer passengers and low fares were making it hard for him to secure even a single meal a day.

The continued sale of LPG at rates well above the official benchmark has added to the financial strain on consumers in Lahore and elsewhere, as the difference between the notified and market prices remains substantial.