Under the Karachi commissioner’s official price list, stone-ground flour is set at Rs145 per kilogram. However, market prices have reached Rs200, exceeding the official rate by Rs55. Fine flour, officially priced at Rs132 per kilogram in the wholesale market, is being sold for Rs176.
Ration flour is available at Rs161 per kilogram in wholesale markets and Rs168 in retail markets. The report attributes difficulties in controlling prices partly to flour mills’ failure to supply flour at government-fixed rates.
In Balochistan, wheat shortages have driven prices higher. A 50-kilogram flour bag that cost Rs6,000 around three months ago now sells for as much as Rs8,000. Supplies have also become limited in some areas of the province.
In Multan, wheat prices have reached Rs5,400 per maund, pushing flour prices to around Rs150 per kilogram. Roti prices have increased from Rs15 to Rs25, while naan has risen from Rs25 to Rs30. Residents said the price of a 15-kilogram flour bag had increased from Rs1,700 to Rs2,200.
Faisalabad has also recorded an increase in wheat and flour prices. Local flour mill operators have raised the price of stone-ground flour from Rs150 to Rs160 per kilogram, citing wheat prices of Rs5,500 per maund. They said flour prices could be reduced if the government supplied wheat at official rates.
In Hafizabad, residents reported that subsidised flour bags previously priced at Rs1,100 were unavailable. The price of a 10-kilogram flour bag has also increased from Rs1,400 to Rs1,600.
The rising cost of this essential food item has added to the financial difficulties faced by households across several parts of the country.