LAHORE: The Lahore Atta Chakki Owners Association has jacked up the price of flour by Rs3 per kg and the commodity is sold at Rs93 in the open market, adding to the woes of the masses braving the burden of ever-rising inflation.
Talking with Pakistan Today, General Secretary Lahore Atta Chakki Owners Association Abdul Rehman said that the continuous increase in wheat prices has made the rise in flour price almost inevitable, adding that so it was impossible for them to sell flour at Rs90 per kg.
The chakki owners told this reporter that the wheat price has reached Rs2,700 per quintal in the grain markets of Punjab and in this situation the flour prices had to be increased.
On the other hand, citizens expressed their outrage at the high prices of flour and demanded an immediate reduction. Speaking to Pakistan Today, Mohammad Sadiq, a Class IV employee at Civil Secretariat, said that manifold increase in the prices of flour and sugar over the past four years has made life of the common man miserable.
“Daily-use items have becoming more and more expensive. Just four years ago, I used to buy flour between Rs35 and Rs40 per kg and now the price has gone up to Rs93. In comparison, if you look at my wages four years ago it was Rs25,000 per month, which is now only Rs32,000 per month”, Sadiq narrated, adding that he have four children and about 30kg of flour is easily consumed in his house every month but now the increased price will force the poor man to stop eating.
Meanwhile, people also complained about the unavailability of subsidized flour in the market, which was announced by the previous government and continued by the present setup. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Lahore Omar Sher Chatha claimed that the sale of flour at subsidized price is going on at about 800 points across the provincial metropolis.
“A total of 62,100 flour bags of 10kg and 105,045 flour bags of 20kg have been provided at these points”, the DC pointed out, adding that a 10kg flour bag is available at Rs490. “The Assistant Commissioners and Price Control Magistrates have continuously been monitoring the supply of flour in the market,” Mr Chatha claimed.
It is important to mention here that that newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz also held negotiations with flour and sugar millers a couple days ago to convince them for a reduce in the prices both the commodities.
On the other hand, the chairman Punjab Flour Mills Association told Profit Magazine of Pakistan Today that negotiations with the government regarding supply of subsidized flour did not apply to the owners of private atta chakki.
“This decision will not apply to those who buy wheat from private farmers and sell flour in chakki. In other words, the mill owners will sell the flour at the same price at which they bought it from the farmers. In this case, the government cannot interfere,” he informed.
