KARACHI: Consumers in Karachi are likely to get 10kg flour bag at Rs650 from Sept 26 as the Sindh government will start releasing wheat to the mills at Rs5,825 per 100kg bag.

Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Executive Committee Member Aamir Abdullah told Dawn that the millers would start getting wheat challan from the government which they would submit to the State Bank and this process would take at least a few days.

He said the provincial government had agreed to provide wheat much earlier instead of its previous plan to release the grain from Oct 1 aimed at bringing down the price of flour.

The provincial government has also notified ex-mill rate of Rs640 for 10kg flour bag and Rs64 for one kg, while the retail rate has been fixed at Rs650 for 10kg bag and Rs65 for one kg.

Abdullah said 85-90 mills in Karachi have decided to set up five stalls each for sale of low-priced flour at their mills while arrangements are being made to provide flour at the main retail markets. He added that each mill initially would get 2,500-2,600 wheat bags of 100kg for grinding purpose.

When asked how various varieties of flour rate at Rs1,110 and 1,300 per 10kg bag would come down, he said “the prices of these branded brands are unlikely to change and this is another case”.

However, after the announcement of wheat and flour rate by the Sindh government, the price of 100 kg wheat bag in the open market had plunged to Rs 8,900 from Rs 9,200, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2022