KARACHI: Flour prices have increased in Karachi after a recent rise in wheat prices over the past two weeks, prompting flour millers to urge the government to take immediate steps to stabilize the wheat market.
The price of grade 2.5 flour has risen from Rs119 per kilogram to Rs132 per kilogram. Fine flour has also increased to more than Rs140 per kilogram, said Junaid Aziz, chairman of the Flour Mills Association. He said the increase is directly linked to higher wheat prices, which have gone up from Rs106 to Rs118 per kilogram during the same period.
Aziz said the government should quickly allow wheat imports to control prices. He warned that delays could lead to hoarding and further price increases. He added that Pakistan may need to import 3 to 4 million tonnes of wheat to meet demand, but imports should match actual market needs to protect local farmers.
He said Karachi uses around 2 to 2.2 million flour bags each month in summer, while demand rises to about 2.6 million bags in winter. He added that rising flour prices are increasing financial pressure on consumers, with no immediate relief in sight.
In a separate development, short term inflation in Pakistan rose during the week ending June 18, mainly due to higher prices of food items, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which tracks weekly price changes of essential goods, increased by 0.46% compared to the previous week.
Tomato prices recorded the sharpest rise, increasing by 16.65% in one week. Potato prices went up by 6.82%, while chicken prices increased by 5.60%. Prices of other items, including eggs, mutton, LPG, washing soap, milk, and curd, also rose during the week.
