Rahim Yar Khan [Pakistan], January 17 (ANI): A sharp escalation in wheat prices has sent flour rates to historic highs across South Punjab, intensifying economic hardship for ordinary citizens as government-subsidised flour has virtually vanished from local markets.

The situation is complicated in Rahim Yar Khan, where families are struggling to cope with daily price shocks, as reported by The Express Tribune.

According to The Express Tribune, market insiders stated that wheat prices in the open market have surged to between Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 4,500 and PKR 4,600 per 40kg. This spike has forced flour millers to revise retail prices upward, pushing flour to around PKR 130 per kg. As a result, a 10kg bag now costs nearly PKR 1,300, placing an unsustainable burden on low- and middle-income households already grappling with inflation.

The government's subsidised flour programme, meant to provide relief, has been badly disrupted. Officially fixed rates of PKR 910 for a 10kg bag and PKR 1,820 for 20kg are rarely seen outside Lahore, leaving much of South Punjab at the mercy of private suppliers. Consumers in these districts are increasingly compelled to purchase costly branded flour that is beyond the reach of many families.

Representatives of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association attribute the crisis to depleted wheat stocks held by traders and the public, which has led to widespread supply shortages. They say mills in Rahim Yar Khan, a district with an estimated population of five million, are not receiving their allocated share of government wheat, worsening the imbalance between supply and demand, as cited by The Express Tribune.

The association further claims that nearly 80 per cent of flour mills have been running at losses for the past two years due to rising operational costs and what they describe as an inequitable distribution system. The millers have urged the Punjab government to release between 20,000 and 22,000 tonnes of wheat daily from its reserves totalling about 1.5 million tonnes, between January 20 and March 20, to stabilise the market.

They have also appealed to Maryam Nawaz to intervene. Bakers complain that government flour remains scarce and of inferior quality, deepening public frustration, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)