The flour crisis in the twin cities has reached its peak, with wheat in the open market selling at Rs3,900 per maund, pushing the price of a 20kg flour bag up to Rs2,400 — an increase of Rs900.
However, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema has fixed the official price of a 20kg flour bag at Rs1,810. Rejecting this rate, the Kiryana Merchants Association announced that it would halt retail sales of flour across the division starting today (Friday).
Association President Saleem Pervaiz Butt said flour mills in Rawalpindi Division and Islamabad are now supplying 20kg flour bags at Rs2,400, while the DC has set a rate Rs600 lower. "We cannot buy expensive flour and sell it at the government's cheap rate. If the DC supplies us flour at the official price, we are ready to sell it," he added. The association has issued instructions to all grocery shops to immediately stop flour sales.
Meanwhile, Naanbai Association President Shafiq Qureshi stated that the price of a 79kg flour sack has jumped by a record Rs3,000.
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