The Grocery Merchant Association has decided to boycott all sales of flour after the Punjab government announced a record increase in the cost of cheap, subsided flour.
A flour crisis is anticipated to result from this boycott in Rawalpindi. Additionally, the government increased the price of selling 40kg of wheat to flour mills from Rs2,300 to Rs3,900.
The price of a 10kg bag of cheap, subsided flour has increased from Rs648 to Rs1,160, with the ex-mill price set at Rs1,140, according to Salim Pervez Butt, central president of the Grocery Merchants Association.
Butt bemoaned the fact that the grocery stores would have to pay the mills Rs1,165 to purchase the subsidised flour bag, making it impossible to sell it for Rs1,160.
Since March 20, grocery stores have stopped purchasing the 25,000 flour bags that are typically sold each day, notifying the flour mills, deputy commissioner, and food controller of their decision. Additionally, store owners informed the Flour Dealers Association of their decision not to buy the flour.
The price of roti, naan, and paratha will increase by Rs. 10 each starting on the first day of Ramadan, according to Shafiq Qureshi, president of the Naanbai Association. Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema has received a letter of protest from the Central Grocery Merchants Association.
The district administration of Rawalpindi has made the decision to give 1,447,775 free flour bags to the needy and deserving. According to the Punjab Government’s directives, 100,000 free flour bags would be given away each day at 232 distribution locations throughout the district to those in need.
The administration had made all necessary preparations and ensured that price lists were displayed at all stores, according to a spokesperson for the Commissioner’s office. Additionally, they made sure that Anjuman-e-Tajran representatives would take part in the distribution process.
