Lahore - The generators rates are skyrocketing in the country after rise in temperature and loadshedding. To meet the customers’ demand in coming months, the traders are importing generators in bulk quantity from China.
After recent unscheduled loadshedding and hot weather, the generators’ sale has been increasing in wholesale markets and super stores in the provincial capital. The local traders are importing the generators from China, which are available at ‘affordable’ prices, while Korean and Japanese generators are also available but their demand was relatively much lower due to high prices.
The average prices of domestic generators in market are as under: 1Kv Rs 20,000, 3Kv Rs 39000, 3.5Kv Rs 44000, 5Kv Rs 72,000 and 6Kv Rs 750,000. The accessories like gas kit and batteries are also included in these prices, while change over switch is available at Rs 1500 and automatic switch (ATS) at Rs 8000 to Rs 15000. It was also noted that most of the consumers who are buying the generators are using natural gas instead of petrol or diesel.Brandreth Road is a major wholesale market of generators and related products where all kinds of generators and accessories are available. It was revealed during a market survey that almost 99 per cent generators products are being imported from China. There are also some local brands available in market but according to informed sources, the local manufacturers too are importing some parts from China and later they are assembling the generators in their factories. These local brands are not durable and reliable because local manufactures are only minting the money and they are not using modern technology. The popular brands which are available in market include Loncin, Honda, JD, Swan etc.
Sh Mubashir Ashraf, a dealer of Chinese made generators, said that prices of generators are dependant on demand and supply, adding that if the sales will rise prices would go up definitely. In recent days, the prices are controlled because there is lesser loadshedding and lower temperature lately. He said the political situation also affects the prices. Last year, after May election, the generators sale had stopped because government had taken effective steps to control the massive loadshedding and due to these steps the traders could not meet their targets and still they were selling from last year’s stock. ‘’ If government did not control loadshedding, the generators sale may once again gain momentum in the coming days’’ he added.
To a query, Mubashir said that Lahore market is covering the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa provinces, while Karachi is supplying the generators to interior Sindh and Balochistan.