The crisis over wheat and flour prices in Karachi has failed to subside, as delays in the supply of government wheat have raised fears of further increases in flour prices.
Flour Mills Association Chairman Abdul Junaid said that the wheat provided by the government absences nutritional excellence and is being mixed with new wheat to produce flour that is unaffordable for the public due to high prices.
He said that interruptions by the Sindh government in providing wheat to flour mills have further pushed up flour prices in Karachi.
He warned that both wholesale and retail markets in Karachi are fronting the risk of extra price hikes. The Karachi Commissioner has been informed about the delayed supply of government wheat to flour mills.
According to Abdul Junaid a meeting has also been held with the DIG Traffic to ensure timely transportation of wheat to flour mills.
He said that flour prices continue to increase due to the non-availability of government wheat on time.
Old government wheat is priced at Rs80 per kilogram and newly added wheat costs Rs110 per kilogram.
As a result flour supply in the wholesale market cannot be made cheaper, and prices are being set arbitrarily.
Meanwhile, Wholesale Grocers Association Chairman Rauf Ibrahim said that although the Karachi Commissioner is expected to issue a new price list for flour within the next one to two days, flour prices in the open market have already surged from Rs55 per kilogram to Rs110 over the past four months.
He further said that Sindh’s wheat is being transported to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and if demand increases open market wheat prices could rise from Rs110 to Rs125 per kilogram.
Rauf Ibrahim warned that the price of fine flour in Karachi could increase to as high as Rs145 per kilogram.
Also read: Flour prices go up due to supply crises
