Wholesalers warn rise in flour prices

KARACHI:

KARACHI. The Wholesale Grocers Association has called for a large-scale crackdown on wheat hoarders, warning that flour prices may rise further in the coming days.

Association leader Abdul Rauf Ibrahim said the wholesale price of No. 2.5 flour in Karachi currently stood at Rs156 per kg, while its retail price was Rs170.

Fine flour was being sold at wholesale rate of Rs170 per kg and at Rs190 in the retail market. The wholesale price of chakki flour had surged to Rs190-200 per kg, while its retail price ranged between Rs215 and Rs220. Clean wheat was being supplied to small flour mills at Rs160 per kg, he added.

The price of ordinary wheat had also climbed to Rs145-150 per kg, he said. Ibrahim stressed that farmers' production costs must be considered before fixing a support price for wheat. Meanwhile, industrialists have expressed grave concern over the deteriorating condition of the country's economic hub.

They said, despite contributing around 70 per cent of the country's revenue, the metropolitan city continues to suffer from crumbling infrastructure, severe water shortages, unreliable utility services, a collapsing sewerage system and rampant street crime.