Flour ex-mill price reduced by Rs6 per-kg to Rs155

KARACHI  –  Provincial Minister for Food Makhdoom Mehboob Uz Zaman on Friday held an emergency meeting with the Flour Mills Association to address the recent increase in flour prices and discuss measures to provide relief to consumers. Commissioner Karachi Syed Hassan Naqvi and Secretary Food Ghulam Abbas Naich also attended the meeting, during which the recent price hike, wheat availability and the supply of wheat to flour mills were discussed in detail. The meeting was attended by Flour Mills Association Chairman Malik Iqbal, Patron-in-Chief Muhammad Yousuf Chaudhry, and other office-bearers of the association.

During the meeting, it was mutually decided to reduce the ex-mill price of flour by Rs6 per kilogram, bringing it down from Rs161 to Rs155 per kilogram. Expressing concern over the sudden increase in flour prices, Makhdoom Mehboob Uz Zaman said the Chief Minister Sindh and Chief Secretary Sindh had also expressed serious concern over the rising prices and their impact on the public.

“The sudden increase in flour prices is a matter of concern. The government wants to ensure relief for the people and will take all possible measures to prevent unjustified increases in the price of this essential commodity,” the provincial minister said. He said that the provincial government was committed to protecting the interests of the public and ensuring the availability of flour at reasonable prices. The minister said the Sindh government had provided a subsidy of Rs76.5 billion to wheat growers through the Agriculture Department. He added that the province had recorded a bumper wheat crop this year, making it essential to ensure that the benefits of increased production reached consumers as well.

According to the minister, flour mills currently have approximately 1.5 million units of wheat stock, which he said was equivalent to around one month’s consumption. He stressed that the availability of wheat stocks and the supply chain must be managed effectively to avoid unnecessary pressure on flour prices.

Representatives of the Flour Mills Association stated during the meeting that the increase in flour prices was linked to higher market rates of wheat. The minister, however, maintained that the provincial government had fixed the wheat release price below the prevailing market rate to facilitate the supply of wheat to flour mills and help stabilise flour prices.

Makhdoom Mehboob Uz Zaman said the government was also making arrangements to supply imported wheat directly to flour mills from the port. He said the measure was intended to facilitate timely availability of wheat, improve supply and help control unnecessary price fluctuations.

He further said that wheat releases would be carried out through a transparent mechanism and that the government would ensure the availability of wheat to flour mills in accordance with the applicable arrangements.

The provincial minister emphasised that the government would continue to monitor the situation closely and coordinate with the relevant departments and flour mills to ensure the uninterrupted supply of wheat and flour at affordable prices.

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