Peshawar flour prices soar as government subsidies vanish
In Peshawar, subsidised wheat flour has disappeared, pushing a 20 kg bag of fine flour to Rs 3,300 and prompting bakeries to raise roti prices.
Peshawar residents are facing a sharp rise in flour costs after government-subsidised wheat flour largely vanished from the market, driving the price of a 20 kg bag of fine flour to Rs 3,300. Coarse flour and chokar have also seen steep hikes, with an 80 kg bag of coarse flour reaching Rs 13,200 and 20 kg of chokar at Rs 1,480. Bakers have lifted the price of a 50-gram roti by 50%, from Rs 20 to Rs 30, and some vendors now offer two rotis for Rs 40, while the size of the roti appears to be shrinking.
Law-enforcement agencies are monitoring large flour dealers and warehouses amid accusations of an artificial shortage, though the Peshawar administration has not taken visible action. Citizens are urging officials to enforce official price caps and prescribed roti weights. Nationwide data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics shows flour prices up 0.29% week-on-week and 32.65% higher than a year ago.
Why it matters
Rising flour costs threaten food affordability for Peshawar’s residents and signal broader supply-chain pressures in Pakistan.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage centers on Karachi millers raising flour prices and retailer complaints about supply shocks, while centrist coverage highlights Peshawar residents facing soaring prices after government subsidies vanished and accusations of an artificial shortage.
LEFT
Frames the story as millers' price hikes causing retailer complaints and supply shocks, stressing the burden on consumers and bakers.
CENTER
Frames the story as the loss of government subsidies driving sharp price increases, emphasizing accusations of artificial shortages and calls for enforcement of price caps.
The left emphasises
- flour millers lifted prices by about Rs14 per kilogram
- retailers accuse millers of halting supplies to create a price shock
- rising costs affect naan, sheermal, and other breads, with LPG price pressure on bakers
In this story
