Wheat Atta Prices Cross ₹150/Kg in Pakistan As Supply Falls Short. Details Here

Flour in Karachi is being sold at Rs 160 per kg. However, a 10 kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs 1,500 per kg in Islamabad and Peshawar.

Islamabad: Pakistan is grappling with the worst ever flour crisis as parts of the country reported shortages of wheat. Markets have become chaotic and stampedes were reported in several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Skyrocketing wheat flour prices have kept the food staple inaccessible for many in Pakistan as varied rates of grain and its by-products in provinces continue to encourage its black-marketing.

People are struggling to get a single bag of the daily-use commodity. According to a report by the Express Tribune, thousands of people spend hours daily getting the subsidized bags of flour that are already short in supply in the market.

#PakistanFlourCrisis, Visual from #Sindh Pakistan, people were seen squabbling for flour.

It’s Painful????????#PakistanEconomy #ResilientPakistan pic.twitter.com/7qlSjh3rni

— Bakhtawar Shah (@Shah_Bakhtawar1) January 10, 2023

Wheat Atta Prices in Pakistan

• According to several media reports, flour in Karachi is being sold at Rs 160 per kg. However, a 10 kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs 1,500 per kg in Islamabad and Peshawar.
• The whole wheat flour on the other hand soared to 150 PKR per kg in the province.
• The 15kg flour bag is being sold for Rs 2,050 now, after the increase of Rs 150.
• Similar is with the case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where a 20 kg flour bag is in short supply even at record price of 3,000 PKR per bag.
• So far, the price of a 15 kg flour bag has seen a rise of Rs 300 in just two weeks. Whereas, in the open market, the prices remain unchanged, reported ARY News.
• The rates of tandoori roti and naan also hiked to almost double the price of what was prevalent a year back.
• Flour in Karachi is being sold from Rs 140 per kilogram to Rs 160 per kilogram. Mill owners in Punjab province have increased the price of flour to Rs 160 per kilogram.

It seems that there is no check on black-marketing of wheat and flour in the country, especially in the Punjab province from where complaints about pilferage of subsidised wheat have been rampant. There are serious issues of flour quality deterioration.

People complained that smelly wheat flour is being supplied by the flour mills and there is no quality check of the officials concerned, The News reported.

Meanwhile, market insiders are of the view that price of wheat may touch the peak for the time being following increase of wheat release quota in Punjab province, the biggest producer and consumer of grains in the country.