Flour Prices: Karachi Flour Rates Rise as Millers Call for Wheat Imports

KARACHI: Flour prices in Karachi have increased after wheat prices rose sharply over the past two weeks, prompting flour millers to call on the government to take immediate measures to stabilize the wheat market.

The price of grade 2.5 flour has increased from Rs119 to Rs132 per kilogram, while fine flour now sells for more than Rs140 per kilogram. According to Flour Mills Association Chairman Junaid Aziz, the increase follows a rise in wheat prices from Rs106 to Rs118 per kilogram during the same period.

Aziz urged the government to allow wheat imports without delay to ease pressure on the domestic market. He warned that any further delay could encourage hoarding and push prices even higher.

He said Pakistan may need to import between three and four million tonnes of wheat to meet domestic demand. However, he stressed that imports should reflect actual market requirements to avoid harming local wheat growers.

Aziz said Karachi consumes between two million and 2.2 million flour bags each month during the summer, while monthly demand rises to around 2.6 million bags in winter. He added that the continued increase in flour prices is placing an additional financial burden on households, with no immediate relief expected.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s short-term inflation also increased during the week ending June 18, driven largely by higher food prices, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), which measures weekly changes in the prices of essential commodities, rose by 0.46% compared with the previous week.

Among food items, tomato prices recorded the steepest weekly increase, rising by 16.65%. Potato prices climbed by 6.82%, while chicken became 5.60% more expensive. Prices of several other essential items, including eggs, mutton, LPG, washing soap, milk and curd, also increased during the week.