LAYYAH, Sept 19: Flour dealers are fleecing people by selling a 20kg flour bag for Rs325 to Rs330 in violation of government orders regarding flour prices.

The government has set the price of a 20kg bag at Rs285. The Layyah district coordination officer set the price of a 20kg flour bag at Rs285 after a meeting with retailers and mill owners before Ramazan, but now flour is available across the district at a much higher price.

The district food department has increased the supply of wheat to mills, but flour prices have not eased.

District Food Controller Malik Sajjad Husain said the food department purchased 94,000 ton wheat last year, while 20,000 ton wheat was enough to meet the district’s annual needs. He said the food department had increased wheat supply to five flourmills from 925 to 1,421 bags a day.

The Flourmill Owners Association senior vice-president said the situation would take another few days to ease.