KARACHI: The retail prices of wheat flour have gone up by Rs 2 to Rs 3 per kilogram despite sufficient stocks held by the provincial government.
The increase comes after recent hikes in the rates of tomato and onion.
Retailers are now selling the 10 kg bag of Ashrafi and Bake Parlor brands for Rs 430-450 as compared to Rs 410-420 per bag a few days ago. Similarly, the price of a 5 kg bag rose to Rs 230-240 from Rs 210-220.
A resident of North Karachi said that he purchased a 10 kg bag of chakki flour for Rs 480 on Tuesday.
While consumers say retailers have increased the prices at whim, retailers say flour millers were cashing in on soaring demand due to a change in weather.
On the other hand, a leading flour miller told he had raised prices by Rs 2 per kg, but some retailers were pocketing an additional Rs 2 per kg from consumers.
Pakistan Flour Mills Association, central chairman Chaudhry Ansar Jawed, said the price of flour No. 2.5 had been raised to Rs 1,850 per 50kg from Rs 1,775 while that of fine flour and maida (superfine flour) had been increased to Rs 1,950 from Rs 1,875 in the last 15 days.
He said millers in Karachi were buying entire wheat from the open market, where prices had recently jumped to Rs 3,300 per 100kg from Rs 3,125.
Karachi Atta Chakki Association, general secretary Anis Shahid, said wheat flour prices had gone up to Rs 200 per 100 kg on the open market.
He said the Sindh government had more than 1.4 million tonnes of wheat in stock from previous and current years’ crop, which was sufficient for local consumption.
Shahid said prices could be lowered if the provincial government released wheat at Rs 3,000 per 100 kg. The government and open market rates of wheat were almost the same at present, he said.
