Wheat flour becomes unaffordable

KARACHI:

Flour crisis has intensified due to the bad economic situation, shortage of foreign exchange and destruction of wheat crops in the floods. People are standing in long queues to buy a bag of flour. The price of flour is rising like dollar and gold. It has become difficult for the daily wage earners to feed their children. Therefore, people have turned to rice consumption.

The price of flour (2-anda-half number) has reached Rs130 per kg, fine flour is available for Rs150 and Chakki flour is selling at a price of Rs160 per kg. On the other hand, the 10kg flour bag provided by the federal government at the utility stores, which costs Rs650, and the cheap flour bag of Sindh government, that costs Rs650 also disappeared from the market. Moreover, due to high cost of wheat and shortage of gas, price of roti has gone up to Rs25. A citizen Nadeem said he sells fruits. “There are six people in the family. I earn Rs1,500 daily. Five kilos of flour is required every day. I need to purchase flour for Rs750 every day. Where will he buy rest of the items from?”, he said.

Chairman Pakistan Flour Mills Association Sindh Region, Chauhdari Amir said, country’s wheat reserves are decreasing. “The government is providing only 30 per cent of wheat quota. We are buying 70 per cent of wheat from the open market. He said that the price of a 100kg sack of wheat has increased to Rs12,500. Daily consumption of wheat in Karachi is 9,000 tons.

A trader in the market said on condition of anonymity that the flour was going to Afghanistan. Afghans are buying flour at high prices, which is causing shortage. General Manager of Utility Stores Corporation Karachi Anwer Baloch said that a 10kg bag of flour is being provided to the people at Rs648 while Benazir Income Support Programme card holders can take it for Rs400