Wheat flour prices reach record high: Govt urged to allow private-sector wheat imports immediately
KARACHI: With flour prices soaring to record highs, flour millers have urged the government to immediately allow private-sector wheat imports, warning that the deepening wheat crisis across Pakistan, particularly in Sindh, could further push up prices and place an additional burden on consumers.
As per industry sources, wheat flour prices have increased by 31.7 percent in urban and 34.3 percent in rural markets year-on-year due to shortage of the commodity followed by the lower crop output.
Wheat flour prices have surge to all time high level due to shortage of wheat grains in the domestic market. Flour No 2.5 is selling at Rs 161 per kg, Chakki flour at record 180 per kg, Maida at Rs 173 per kg and now the wheat flour is even the unaffordable for the common man, he informed.
Yaser Malik, former president Jamshoro Chamber of Commerce & Industry and chairman Flour Mills Sub-Committee Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has said that wheat availability in Sindh for FY27 was estimated at 4.84 million metric tons against the province’s demand of 6.53 million metric tons, leaving a shortfall of 1.69 million metric tons.
At the national level, wheat production was estimated at 27.5 million metric tons against the target of 29.7 million metric tons, resulting in a shortfall of 2.2 million metric tons.
Yasir further informed that against the projected shortfall of 1.69 million metric tons, the Sindh government currently holds only 346,414 tonnes of wheat in its stocks. Even after adding 190,000 tonnes from PASSCO and 300,000 tonnes through planned imports, total availability would reach just 836,414 tonnes, which would be insufficient to meet the province’s requirements for the next five months until the arrival of the new crop in March-April 2027.
Flour millers have already refused to lift government-released wheat priced at Rs 12,500 per 100kg bag from October 15, claiming that only around 15 percent of the 1.3 million bags stored at the Landhi warehouse are fit for consumption. They said the bulk of the stock is three to four years old and unfit for human consumption.
“With these statistics, the country is heading towards a full-blown food security crisis by December-January,” he warned.
The IRSA has already projected a 22 percent water shortage for Rabi season in Sindh and Punjab, which will further threaten the next wheat crop.
“In this situation, on behalf of flour mills industry of Sindh, we demand the government to allow Duty-Free and Subsidy-Free import of wheat by the private sector immediately,” he urged.
He said that the federal government must not repeat the mistake of importing through Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCkP) alone.
“TCP’s imports are slow, costly and lead to losses to the national exchequer. The private sector should be allowed to import on an open, transparent, and non-discriminatory basis,” he said.
Yasir said that the landed cost of private import today is Rs 105 per kg, and we can provide flour to consumers at Rs.130 per kg - much lower than current market rates.
He urged that Sindh Food Department must immediately segregate its old stocks and release only good quality wheat. Forcing millers to lift substandard wheat will not solve the crisis.
“We need 4 million tonnes of phased wheat imports to cover the national gap, not 550,000 tonnes. The government must announce a clear import policy for the next 6 months,” he urged.
The flour mills of Sindh stand ready to cooperate with both federal and provincial governments to ensure uninterrupted supply of affordable flour, but we need wheat to grind. Without immediate private sector imports, mills will be forced to shut down, leading to further price hikes and shortages, Yasir concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026