PESHAWAR, July 10: Nanbais of the city have threatened to observe a strike if the government does not ensure supply of flour to them at subsidised rates.

They are also in difference with the administration over the weight of bread.

Nanbai Association of Peshawar president Mohammad Iqbal told Dawn that bakers had stopped purchasing flour from the official quota since June 15 because the government had failed to supply them quality flour as per their requirement.

The bakers’ flour demand for a day, he said, was 4,000 bags of 85kg, but they were hardly supplied half of the approved quota. He said they could get the commodity in the open market on reasonable rates.

“As a result of the flour crisis when the price of 85kg flour had reached Rs2,800, the administration had approved the rate of Rs5 for 140-gram bread, but the price was again lowered to Rs4 when the price of 85kg flour came to Rs2,000,” he said.

He said the price of 85kg of flour had again reached Rs2400 and it was impossible for them to sell 140-gram bread at the same rate. He said if the administration did not approve 120-gram weight of bread, nanbais would observe a strike after six days.

He said prices of everything, including natural gas and labour charges, had increased manifold and they could not run their business in the current situation.

He called upon the government to ensure supply of flour on subsidised rate to nanbais as per their requirement.