20kg flour price soars to historic high Rs1,000 per bag

LAHORE: The price of 20-kilogram flour bag has surged to record high level of Rs1,000 in Lahore. Lahore Atta Dealers Association President Haji Yousaf said here Sunday that the flour mills decided in a meeting that the price of 20kg flour bag would be increased by Rs25 from Monday. Now the 20kg bag would be available for Rs1,000 per bag, instead of Rs975, in the retail market.

Similarly, he added, 10kg flour bag would now cost Rs510 from earlier price of Rs495. He added that some mills had raised the price from Sunday. The mill owners said that wheat price had surged to over Rs1,850 per 40kg in the provincial market from earlier price of Rs1,750.

Pakistan Flour Mills Association Punjab Chairman Abdul Rauf Mukhtar said that wheat price increase toRs1,850 per 40kg had been sole reason behind the flour rate upsurge. In such a high cost of wheat, mill owners could not keep flour price unchanged, he added.

Majid Abdullah, a leader of Progressive Flour Mill Owners Group, said things could have been different in terms of flour price for consumers had the Food Department allowed the mills to buy wheat for meeting their requirements. Instead, he added, the Food Department had been continuing its policy of monopoly, and still not ending restrictions on inter-district wheat movement.

Meanwhile, in a last-ditch effort, the Punjab Food Department has extended the wheat procurement campaign on directions from the provincial government about achieving the target at the earliest.

While revising its strategy, the department has started assigning procurement targets to the district food controllers on daily basis. The daily procurement target of Dera Ghazi Khan division has been set as follows: DG Khan, 1500 MT; Rajanpur, 1500 MT; Muzaffargarh, 1,000 MT; Layyah, 1,000 MT. The aim of the exercise is to procure as much wheat as possible through already issued gunny bags, said an official.

The Punjab food secretary has told all staff concerned that wheat procurement is yet to be concluded. The employees have been asked to strictly recover gunny bags from farmers at all cots. Otherwise, strict action, including suspension from service, would be taken against them.

When contacted, both secretary food and provincial senior and food minister did not comment about claims relating to rising trend in wheat and flour prices, extension in procurement drive and seizure of private wheat.

Meanwhile, imposition of unannounced restrictions on grain movement and seizure of trucks, loaded with private wheat, continued in the province, especially in the border districts with other provinces. Consequently, rates of wheat were also showing upward trend in the open market. As per provincial government's own report, flour is already not available in the province at most places on the fixed prices.