ISLAMABAD - Wheat flour price in the country has increased more than 45 per cent within only one year and is expected to increase more in the near future due to increasing input costs of agricultural commodities thus making the lives of poor miserable.
Flour price in the end of 2012 and even in the start of 2013 stood at Rs 600 or little more that now has reached to Rs 880 in case of flour sold by millers and the whole wheat flour being sold by the “Atta Chakkies” is being sold at Rs 50 kilogram that means Rs 1000 for a 20 kilogram bag.
Pakistan is already food insecure country and that does not mean that there is no food available but that is on the basis of inflationary prices of food in the country that the common man cannot afford. Earlier, fruits were out of reach of poor man in the country but he was able to buy staple food at least but in the present situation the common man is unable to buy even staple food “wheat flour”.
As the country is expected to miss wheat production target this year and a shortage is expected and to fill the gap wheat might be imported. But the situation is ideal for the black marketers and they can raise the price of wheat and wheat flour in the market.
Presently wheat price in the market has crossed Rs 1600 per 40 kilogram that further is expected to increase thus increasing the wheat flour price across the country. It is pertinent to mention here that the average income of the people has not increased for a long time now but the prices of all items including the food products are continuously increasing thus making the lives of poor miserable than ever.
Prices of fuel, fertilizer, seed and electricity etc are increasing continuously that is the major reason behind ballooning of wheat price in the market. The aforementioned reasons have not only increased the prices of food items but also caused decreasing wheat production in the country as the government wishes to stabilise wheat price by force and not increase wheat support price for the farmers.
On the ground, the situation is different. Wheat support price is still Rs 1250 per 40 kilogram but wheat is being sold at Rs 1600 per 40 kg or more. But in this case the beneficiary is not the farmer but the traders who have bought the product from the farmers in the very start and now are selling it on inflationary prices.