People need more 'dough' to make bread

Wheat prices hit record Rs10,000 per 100kg, flour at Rs130 per kg as govt sits on stocks

HYDERABAD:

Wheat prices in Hyderabad's open market have surged to an unprecedented Rs10,000 per 100kg bag, triggering another round of increases in flour prices that have now reached between Rs125 and Rs130 per kilogram.

According to market dealers, wheat bags were selling at Rs8,900 just days ago, but prices began climbing soon after the Sindh government announced a new policy for the release of its stored wheat stocks. While the government has fixed the price of official wheat at Rs9,500 per 100kg bag for flour mills and roller mills, the actual release has yet to begin, allowing speculators and hoarders to push up open-market rates.

Flour millers say the rise in wheat prices has made production more expensive, adding that milling, transport, and utility costs have also increased. "Even last year, the government failed to purchase wheat or fix official rates, which enabled traders to buy large stocks cheaply and hoard them in private warehouses," said a local chakki owner.

Under the government's new policy, 23,000 metric tons of wheat will be issued to chakkis and 127,000 metric tons to roller mills across Sindh. However, chakki owners fear that the stocks being prepared for release are of low quality, allegedly mixed with pebbles and dust. They also complain that most of the subsidized wheat goes to roller mills, many of which resell it in the open market instead of producing affordable flour.

Meanwhile, the district administration has not yet taken notice of the rising flour prices or convened a meeting of stakeholders to fix official rates. With government wheat still withheld and open-market rates soaring, the burden continues to fall on consumers - especially low-income families who depend on daily flour purchases.