Flour mills body rebuts: FBR reps claim on roti price

ISLAMABAD: Flour Mills Association (FMA) Punjab Chairman Habibur Rehman Leghari and All Pakistan Flour Mills Association Central Chairman Asif Raza have said the ‘roti’ and ‘naan’ price has gone up from Rs10 to Rs15 only because of the federal government’s weakness.

While talking to a senior member of the Association, they rejected the claim of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) representatives that roti price was hiked due to hoarding to the wheat by the flour mills. The Association senior member told the reporter that 20-kg flour bag was being sold for Rs738 before the arrival of the new crop, which is now being sold for Rs820. That means per kilogram price was increased by four rupees. If eight roties (naans) and made of one kilogram flour, there should be only 50 paisa increase in a roti/naan, he said.

He regretted that the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governments connived with the roti-makers and tandoor-wallahs, who increased per roti price to Rs15 in Peshawar and Lahore. He questioned that who pressurized the local administrations in Peshawar and Lahore to increase roti price to Rs15 and naan price to Rs20. He said the government was responsible for 150 per cent increase in the gas price and hike in wages of a labourer from Rs800 to Rs1200 per day. He said the government actions and policies created unusual price-hike in the country and the flour millers could not be blamed for increase in prices of roti and naan.