Wheat Flour Prices Up in Peshawar

The prices of flour bags have gone up with many dealers in Peshawar and people are compelled to buy wheat flour by paying 50 to 70 rupees more per bag of wheat than the prices fixed by the food department for different varieties of wheat flour. Instead of the regular price of 520 to 540 rupees for 20 kg of wheat flour, many customers now have to pay 570 to 590 rupees to get the same quantity of wheat flour.

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The increase in flour prices has been attributed by the flour dealers to a rise in the price of wheat in Punjab from where the flour is supplied. It is learnt that consumers do not like to buy four coming from Peshawar flour mills due to its poor quality. Interestingly, some flour dealers say that the prices of flour were stable till recently because many internally displaced people (IDPs) used to sell the flour they got from the government as relief, at a lower than regular price. This had kept the flour prices low at many points. However, with the IDPs now returning to their homes, the flour prices would also go up in Peshawar.

Flour dealers also reject the impression that flour prices are high due to flour smuggling to Afghanistan, saying that Afghanistan now imports better quality of wheat flour from Central Asian countries. Some dealers also spoke about not following the rates fixed by the food department since they were purchasing flour in Punjab’s open market and then selling it at fair rates in Peshawar.