Amid shortages, smuggling, wheat and flour prices have skyrocketed in Pakistan as consumers around the country are worried about the growing costs of flour since they find it difficult to pay for the necessary good.
As per details, in Lahore, the situation has worsened, with the price of 20 kilogrammes (kgs) bag of flour increasing by a staggering Rs350 in just 15 days, reaching a record high of Rs2,900. The market price of wheat rose by Rs250 per maund and that of a 20kg flour bag by Rs100 on Wednesday. Over the past week, the price of wheat has escalated by Rs400 per maund and flour by Rs200 per 20kg.
The problem has reached Faisalabad as well, where locals are coping with sky-high grain prices. The current price of 15 kg of flour, which can reach Rs 2,400, is straining household finances and making it difficult for many people to meet their basic demands.
The wheat crisis hasn’t spared Peshawar either, since the cost of flour keeps rising. The cost of a 20kg bag of flour has quickly increased by Rs400, up to an alarming Rs2,800.
The crisis has encompassed Karachi too where the retail price of daily-use commodity has surged up to Rs170 per kg.
In the wholesale market, it is available at Rs147 per kg.
The Flour Mills Association accused the food department of causing instability and a crisis in the markets across Punjab in their pursuit of purchasing four million tonnes of wheat.
