Surging wheat prices

Wheat and flour prices have climbed steeply in Karachi and Hyderabad, adding to the strain of already high food inflation. In Karachi, wholesale wheat has risen from Rs62 per kg in July to Rs90, pushing flour rates well past Rs100. In Hyderabad, the increase has been sharper still, with flour jumping by Rs17 per kg in just five days. The immediate consequence will be higher roti and naan prices, hitting the poorest households hardest.

The government insists there is no shortage. According to the food security ministry, the country holds 33.47 million tonnes of wheat against an annual requirement of 33.58 million tonnes. But the market is moving in the opposite direction. Industry stakeholders argue that the official figure includes carryover stock from last year and ignores large quantities diverted for livestock feed. The suspension of procurement quotas under the IMF programme has left flour mills free to purchase and store grain privately, creating conditions in which hoarding and speculation thrive. Provincial policies have further distorted the situation. Punjab's ban on inter-provincial wheat movement has given Sindh's cartels space to dominate supply and price.

In Hyderabad, small stone grinder shop owners have staged protests, warning that without the release of official stocks they cannot survive. Such developments highlight how weak oversight has created a vacuum for profiteering, while consumers bear the brunt.

If stocks are indeed sufficient, the solution lies not in repeated reassurances but in decisive action. The government must strengthen monitoring of private storage facilities and revisit restrictions on inter-provincial trade. Price stability in Pakistan's staple crop cannot be left to market forces alone. The present surge in wheat prices is not a crisis of supply but of governance. Policymakers must address these gaps, and this must be supported by law enforcement through stringent implementation.