Wheat millers alleged on Sunday that the much-touted provincial government’s decision to offer 10-kg flour bags at Rs650, or Rs65 per kg, is only catering to half of the population of the mega city and that the remaining people must buy cost flour at Rs120 per kilogram.
Millers are selling 120,000 bags of 10 kgs every day at various locations in around 200 cars that each carry 600 bags, despite the fact that the commodity is not sold in stores or markets.
The cost of the No. 2.5 flour, which is marginally superior to the fine flour delivered by trucks, has been decreased by Rs 6 per kg by flour millers.
Some branded fine flour like Bake Parlor and Ashrafi still costs Rs120 per kg at the retail outlets.
Chairman of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), Aamir Abdullah, stated: “I can state with authority that 50% of Karachi’s population is currently receiving inexpensive flour thanks to the Sindh government’s provision of cheaper wheat to the millers. It is mostly utilized in households.
He claimed that brand-name fine flour costs more since it had to be made with wheat that was bought on the open market for Rs8,750 for a bag weighing 100 kg.
In the past, the province government’s low-cost flour promotions had typically drawn hoarders and market vendors looking to make quick cash.
Five to six members of a family, including women, were observed lifting flour in quantity due to the lack of any restrictions or requirements on the requirement to provide computerized national identity cards (CNICs) before purchasing. Hoarders, market mafias, and retailers cannot be evaluated by flour millers using any standard.
Additionally, many quality-conscious consumers who preferred to spend more money on expensive, branded flour rather than inexpensive flour had also been troubled by the quality problems with flour.
According to reports, shops are selling flour No. 2.5 in loose form in different regions for Rs80–100 per kg while raising the price to Rs65 for flour No. 2.5 in kg.
The head of the PFMA stated, “I believe that these behaviors are currently out of style. Genuine consumers are lining up in greater numbers to purchase flour from the trucks because they are already frustrated by the high food inflation and utility costs. Wheat and flour are of good quality.
In response to a question about potential price reductions for fine flour and super fine flour (maida), the PFMA chairman stated that millers were buying wheat on the open market for Rs8,750 per 100 kg bag and were not combining this wheat with wheat purchased at a discount from the provincial government in order to preserve the quality of the flour.
