GUJRAT: Despite considerable decrease in the price of refined flour (maida), bakers and confectioners have not slashed rates of their products.

Authorities in the provincial government and the district administration have not yet taken any measure to make bakers and confectioners reduce rates of their products.

Refined flour is one of the major ingredients used in the making of bakery items and sweets.

“The price of an 80 kg bag of refined flour has come down by Rs 5,000 (from Rs 13,000 to Rs 8,000) in recent weeks,” says an official of the local flour mills association.

According to him, manufacturers are bagging maximum monetary benefits instead of passing it to consumers. He said public was least informed while authorities did not take notice of the situation.

Rate of 80kg bag has come down by Rs5,000; consumers seek roti-like operation

Some consumers said that they had tried to raise the issue with bakers and their salesmen but nobody was ready to listen to them.

They said the rates of cooking oil, chicken and other raw material used for making bakery items had also been reduced during the last couple of weeks but the bakers did not pass on the relief to public. They said the government should forcefully run a drive to get the rates of bakery items and sweets reduced, like the roti price.

For instance, they said, the rates of bread, rusk, biscuit, cakes and other such bakery items had been the same for several months.

An official of the local administration said that the matter had not been noticed at the government level.

However, he said that the matter had now been brought into the notice of the Gujrat deputy commissioner who might convene a meeting of bakers, confectioners and price magistrates on Monday (tomorrow).

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2024