KARACHI: With no check on price monitoring, stocks situation and hoarding by the authorities, the flour mills have further increased the price of flour No 2.5 by Rs4 per kilogram, raising it to Rs54 per kg.

Last week and on Monday, they had increased prices by Rs1.50 and Rs2 per kg, respectively.

The 10kg flour bag price has risen to Rs545 from Rs505 from Monday while it was priced at Rs470 last week.

On Tuesday, millers also pushed up prices of fine and super fine flour (maida) by Rs3 per kg to Rs56.50 per kg.

Flour millers had jacked up prices of flour No 2.5 by Rs18.50 per kg from the last week of April. The federal, provincial and city governments have not moved to protect interests of consumers, leaving them to pay the high prices of flour during the summer season.

Millers said the 100kg wheat bag rate in the open market swelled to Rs4,800 from Rs4,600 on Monday, but claimed that the grain bag was not easily available. A wheat bag in April was available at Rs3,500.

Last year, the Sindh government had not procured wheat from the growers. According to flour millers, the provincial government this year had procured over 1.2 million tonnes as against the target of 1.4m tonnes. They accused the Sindh government of creating a wheat and flour crisis owing to mismanagement.

The millers had asked the Sindh government to fix the issue price and start releasing wheat to the mills to avert any flour crisis.

They said Punjab had started releasing wheat to the millers at an issue price of Rs1,475 per 40kg from last week.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2020