The price of flour has once again registered upward trend in local market following the expiry of increase in wheat quota to the province granted by the government during Ramazan in a bid to contend the spiralling prices of flour and wheat.
Sources in local flour market said that 20-kilogram bag of flour, which was available at the price of Rs 260 before the advent of Ramzan, was now being sold at Rs 310 while 20 kilogram bag of the good quality (fine Atta) is available at Rs 340 in the market.
The flour millers are attributing the recent surge in prices of flour to shortage in supply of wheat to mills. They said that due to high scale demand and low supply of the commodity to the industry the prices of the flour at the local market has shoot up once again.
A flour miller on condition of anonymity told Business Recorder that the flourmills of the province were receiving only 12 percent of wheat of the total demand of the province while the remaining 88 percent deficiency was being filled from the open market of Punjab.
Both flour millers and dealers are unanimous that in the prevailing circumstances cut in the prices of the commodity is 'impossible'. They asserted that the decision to allow export of wheat was a big mistake committed by the government.
They said that due to the export of wheat the government had now compelled to import the commodity at much higher price than the local market. Market sources said that for remedy to the prevailing situation and arrest of the upward trend in the prices of the commodity clamp down on the hoarders in Punjab was necessary.
"The government should take action against the influential hoarders to recover the hoarded commodity from their possession," a flour miller urged. The increase in wheat quota during Ramazan had helped control the increasing prices of the flour in NWFP. But, with the passage of time the situation is once again on the verge of deterioration in the market.