KARACHI: A sharp rise in wheat and flour prices has hit consumers across the country, compounding inflationary pressures only weeks after sugar rates soared to record highs.
In Karachi’s wholesale markets, the price of wheat has surged from Rs55 to Rs72 per kilogram. The jump has pushed flour rates significantly higher, with Dahai Number flour climbing by Rs15 to Rs81 per kilo and fine flour increasing by Rs9 to Rs87 per kilo.
Retail prices reflect an even sharper squeeze. Dahai Number flour, which previously sold for Rs104, is now retailing at Rs110 per kilo, while fine flour has risen from Rs112 to Rs120 per kilo.
The Chairman of the Wholesale Grocers Association urged the government to intervene immediately, warning that unchecked price escalation in staple commodities was deepening the burden on ordinary households.
The surge in wheat and flour rates comes in the wake of a sugar crisis that saw prices touch nearly Rs190 per kilogram in major cities last month. The spike followed the government’s decision to allow the export of 765,000 metric tons of sugar earlier this year, claiming a surplus in stocks.
That move, however, coincided with a 40 per cent surge in domestic prices as production dropped from 6.8 million tons to 5.8 million tons this season.
To stabilize supply, the Ministry of Food Security approved multiple import tranches, including 500,000 tons of sugar earlier this year and an additional 85,000 tons last week. Despite these measures, prices remain elevated in many markets, with flour now joining sugar as a key inflation driver.
