Hike in flour, onion prices adds to consumers’ woes in Karachi

• Flour millers raise prices by up to Rs275 per 50kg bag
• Naan, sheermal and taftaan rates shoot up by Rs5-10

KARACHI: Ahead of the arrival of one million tonnes of imported wheat, a fresh surge in flour prices has further pushed up the rates of various varieties of roti by Rs5-10 per piece in the metropolis.

Besides, consumers are facing another shock, paying Rs150-180 per kilogramme for onions, depending on their size, compared with Rs110-150 per kg a week ago. In the last week of July, onions were selling at Rs90-120 per kg.

As for flour varieties, two days ago, flour millers in Karachi raised the prices of a 50kg bag of flour no. 2.5, a 50kg bag of maida and a 50kg bag of fine flour to Rs7,200, Rs7,600 and Rs7,750, respectively, an increase of Rs250-275 per 50kg bag, citing rising wheat prices in the open market.

At the end of April 2026, a 50kg bag of flour no. 2.5, a 50kg bag of maida and a 50kg bag of fine flour were available at Rs5,600, Rs5,800 and Rs6,000, respectively.

Following the increase in flour prices, several big tandoor operators are charging up to Rs35 for one naan, compared with Rs30, while pushing up the price of sheermal and taftaan to Rs110 from Rs100 per piece, claiming higher weight and better quality.

Those who were selling naan and sheermal at Rs25 and Rs90 are now demanding Rs30 and Rs100, respectively.

The Karachi commissioner had fixed in February the prices of chapati and tandoori naan weighing 120 grammes, 140, 150 grammes and 180 grammes at Rs14, Rs18, Rs21 and Rs27, respectively.

In May and June, tandoor owners, while defying the official rates, had increased the prices of various varieties, including chapati roti, naan, sheermal, taftaan and kulcha, by Rs2-10 per piece, suggesting that the official rates carry little weight with the tandoor operators.

Consumers have not shown any resistance to the tandoor operators pushing up the rates of roti varieties. They simply pay the inflated prices without bothering to check the weight of the dough, especially for naan.

Flour prices have also gone up across the country. According to data from the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ending Aug 20, 2026, the national average price of a 20kg flour bag, a 10kg wheat bag and one kilogramme of fine flour stood at Rs2,200-3,133, Rs1,236 and Rs153, respectively, compared with Rs1,810-2,740, Rs1,039 and Rs137 at the end of March 2026.

Branded flour already sells at higher rates than the normal market price. For example, a branded five-kilogramme bag of fine flour in Karachi is sold at Rs850-900, but the price regulator has taken no action.

‘Country needs over four million tonnes of wheat’

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has been tasked with importing one million tonnes of wheat despite a 4.3 per cent increase in wheat production during FY26 to 29.61 million tonnes, according to the Economic Survey FY26.

Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association (KWGA) chairman Rauf Ibrahim said only seven to eight months remained before the arrival of the new wheat crop, but the TCP was yet to issue an international tender for the grain import, which would take two to three months to arrive.

The government should not import wheat through the TCP or commercial importers, he said, urging it to allow flour millers to import the grain themselves and fix quotas for each mill.

Besides, he said, imports of one million tonnes were not enough to meet wheat and flour demand for the upcoming months. The country, he added, needed more than four million tonnes.

Mr Ibrahim said there should be no ban on the inter-provincial movement of wheat.

Punjab has produced 22 million tonnes this year against its consumption of 15 million tonnes, but the province has banned the movement of wheat, pushing its price in the open market to Rs130 per kg.

He urged the government to resolve the wheat crisis immediately as winter demand increased, which may create a supply-demand gap and lead to further increases in the prices of various flour varieties.

New onion crop to reach by end of September, October

Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market, Super Highway, president Haji Shahjehan said only the Balochistan crop was currently feeding the entire country, while Sindh’s new crop would reach the markets by the end of September and October.

Onions from Afghanistan used to help meet the supply-demand gap in the local crop, but the arrival of Afghan onions had been suspended for months. Otherwise, the situation would have been different, he said.

He added that a very small quantity of onions had started arriving from Iran, but the quality was mediocre.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2026