Скачать или смотреть Food prices soar as holy month of Ramadan set to begin

(9 Jul 2013)
AP TELEVISION
July 6, 2013
1. Wide of family seated in a middle class home
2. Mid of housewife Shabana Naeem peeling fruit
3. Close of Naeem peeling fruit
4. Wide of Naeem serving fruit plate to family and sitting down
5. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Shabana Naeem, 38-year-old, housewife:
"The prices are sky-rocketing and our monthly budget is doubling. In Ramadan, there are extra expenses including food as well as new dresses for Eid, especially for the children. I wonder what to do: should I meet daily expenses, or get new dresses for the festival for the children? I went to market today and thought of buying samosas for the children, but then I thought to buy the raw materials instead and make it at home, but even that was so highly priced that I could not afford it."
6. Naeem serving fruit to her husband and other family members
7. Wide top shot of Karachi street
8. Wide of local market
9. Mid of shoppers in the local market
10. Various of shoppers at vegetable stall
11. Wide of customer next to mutton shop, butcher chopping meat
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Davina, no last name given, local resident:
"Well, I don't know what the government is really thinking, but I think they should think that all of us over here are not very high class people, and that we cannot afford this, from day to day it is very expensive because the things that we come to purchase here are things that we require and is our daily need. They should think the people in Pakistan are poor, and there are also middle class people who cannot afford the overly-priced things."
July 5, 2013
13. Wide of dried fruit stall
14. Various of people buying dates, traditionally used to break the fast during Ramadan
15. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Shoaib Siddiqui, Commissioner Karachi:
"As you know the price control mechanism was ineffective for a long time. We have been trying to reactivate this system over the last two months in line with the government's policy to provide relief to the common men and poor people. We faced problems while doing this. We have noted that the shopkeepers have increased the prices of essential items several times over. And there were no limits to the mark ups the shopkeepers were charging."
16. Mid of Karachi's wholesale market for food grains
17. Wide of wholesale market
STORYLINE
As Muslims in Pakistan prepare for the holy month of Ramadan, rising food prices are proving a challenge for all families.
Shabana Naeem, a 38-year-old housewife from Karachi said she is struggling to manage her monthly budget.
Her husband, Nasir earns around 200 US dollars per month, which must pay for food, utility bills and the children's education.
Naeem worries how she will afford the little luxuries expected to accompany the festivals.
"In Ramadan, there are extra expenses including food as well as new dresses for Eid, especially for the children. I wonder what to do: should I meet daily expenses, or get new dresses for the festival for the children?" she said.
A poor economy in Pakistan has resulted in increased unemployment and reduced family income.
According to local media reports, more than 50 percent of Pakistanis are living below the poverty line and the number is rising.
The budget by the new government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has hit the majority of the population hard, with tax rates revised upward and the withdrawal of subsidies on many items.
The prices of basic food items have reached a level that even more affluent people are finding it hard to afford.
Commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Siddiqui admitted there is a problem with the high cost of living.

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