LAHORE, Nov 8: The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (Punjab chapter) on Tuesday increased the price by Rs4 per 20 kilogrammes and blamed the food department for delaying wheat release which caused the hike.

Defending the price rise, Majid Abdullah of the PFMA said: “The increase became inevitable as wheat price in open market has been rising for the last many weeks.

“The association had been warning the food department that private stocks were drying up and it should start releasing wheat from official stocks.”

Mr Abdullah said the association had also forewarned the department that it would increase the price if it did not start releasing wheat immediately after Eidul Fitr. The chief minister promised to start releasing wheat two days after the Eid, but it did not happen, he added.

“In these circumstances, the association had no choice but to increase flour price. The Punjab Food Department must squarely be blamed for the present increase,” he said.

He said the government has neither started releasing wheat nor indicating any price nor quantity. In this state of confusion due to absence of an official policy, the association had no choice but to reflect market realities in the flour price, which has now gone up to Rs248 per 20kg for branded varieties and Rs246 per 20kg for non-branded flour.

Food director Muhammad Ijaz said the department would most probably start releasing wheat from Thursday. The chief minister was away and no one else could decide the price because of huge financial implications of the decision.

About the quantity of wheat, he said it was not a problem. Any required quantity could be released which would ease the market.

“Beyond the blame game between the department and the PFMA, the main sufferers are the people,” says a consumer here.

“They may be totally wrong, totally right and, partially both, but apportioning the blame would not lessen the sufferings of the people. The flour price has gone up from Rs90 per 20kg in 1990 to Rs260 at present. Almost 300 per cent increase in the cost of staple food itself bespeaks of official apathy towards the ordinary man. It is not a matter of who did what to raise the price, but of insensitivity to the plight of common man,” he lamented.

“The price of flour had to go up regardless of issuance from the government stocks,” says a market watcher. In fact, the support price has to reflect in the flour price and that is happening, he continues. The PFMA would not withdraw the increase once the food department starts releasing wheat. In fact, they are asking for more. They are on record asking for ex-mill price of Rs252 per 20kg — Rs4 more than the present increase.

The price would go up with official release of wheat as it would be higher than last year and the PFMA would press for additional price increase, he said.