Flour crisis feared in Rawalpindi

The Punjab government has made a record increase in the price of cheap subsidised flour.

The Grocery Merchant Association has announced a complete boycott of the sale of flour from Monday [today] due to which there is a fear of a flour crisis in Rawalpindi.

The government has also started selling wheat to flour mills at Rs3,900 instead of Rs2,300 per 40kg.

Salim Pervez Butt, the central president of the Grocery Merchants Association, told The Express Tribune that the price of a 10kg bag of cheap subsidised flour was Rs648, which has now been increased to Rs1160.

“The ex-mill price of this subsidized flour has been fixed at Rs1140. The grocery shops will get this subsidised flour bag from flour mills at a cost of Rs1,165. We cannot buy a 10kg bag of cheap flour at Rs1,165 and sell it at Rs1,160,” he lamented.

“About 25,000 flour bags are supplied daily. We have stopped the purchase of these bags from March 20 and have also informed the food controller, deputy commissioner and all flour mills of our decision,” he said and added that all the shopkeepers have issued notices to the Flour Dealers Association about their decision not to buy the flour.

“The 10kg bag of premium quality fine flour is priced at Rs1,400 while the cost of the cheap subsidised red flour has been increased to Rs1,160. There is only a slight difference in the prices,” he explained.

Sources said with this decision, the flour crisis will start in the Rawalpindi district from March 20 [today].

Naanbai Association President, Shafiq Qureshi, has announced to increase the price of roti, naan and paratha by Rs10 each from 1st Ramazan.

The Central Grocery Merchants Association has also sent a protest letter to Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema.

Free flour distribution

On the other hand, the Rawalpindi district administration would distribute 1,447,775 free flour bags among the poor and deserving people.

According to a spokesperson for the commissioner’s office, on the directives of Rawalpindi Commissioner, Liaquat Ali Chatta, the administration had finalised all the arrangements and set up free flour distribution points. He said that 100,000 flour bags would be distributed on daily basis.

In this regard, 232 trucking points had been established across the district. Free flour bags would be distributed among the deserving people as per the instructions of the Punjab Government, he said.

Display of the price lists would be ensured at all shops and the representatives of Anjuman-e-Tajran would also be taken on board, he said.

With additional input from the APP

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2023.