Wheat flour, bread prices skyrocket as food inflation grips Pakistan

The province of Balochistan which was severely hit by floods last year is now facing a severe wheat crisis.

In Punjab, the Chief Minister Parvez Elahi has issued directions for an increase in the wheat quota of flour mills, doubling the number of sale points for flour at subsidised rate of Rs650 per 10-kg bag.

The country also witnessed demonstrations in various cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday against record hike in prices of flour and other essential commodities and demanded that the government take immediate steps to control prices and ensure availability of essential food items. “The flour is available at shops but the prices are extraordinarily high. Why can’t the government keep a check on prices and ensure effective pricing?” complained Sabir Khan, the sole bread earner of a family of eight, in Peshawar.

Protests were also held in Mirpur Khas district of Sindh where a man was killed in a crowd crush when several hundred people gathered around the trucks to buy flour at subsidized rate of Rs65 per kg. Harsingh Kolhi, 35, the father of six, was among the hundreds of men and women who after several hours of wait just rushed towards the trucks as soon as they reached, leading to a crowd crush in which several people were injured and Kolhi was crushed to death. Kolhi’s family and local residents protested against food department and district administration for mismanagement and the flour shortage that led to the death of the Mirpur Khas resident.

Experts say the domestic food shortage that worsened after the floods, higher food prices in the international market, rupee depreciation, disruptions in domestic supplies and delays in imports due to import restrictions, and the failure of authorities in ensuring official prices are driving up the price of wheat and bread.