KARACHI, Jan 9 (FD): The first batch of wheat imported from Russia by the incumbent government arrived in Karachi on Monday.
Ministry of Food Security officials announced that two ships arrived in the metropolis and that another 450,000 tonnes of wheat from Russia would reach Pakistan through Gwadar.
A total of 7.5 million tonnes of wheat is being imported at the government level and by March 30 all the wheat shipments from Russia will have reached the country.
Meanwhile, ships carrying imported wheat from other countries also reached Karachi port. So far, 350,000 tonnes of wheat has arrived at the Karachi port.
As of recent, Pakistan’s flour crisis has intensified due to the bad economic situation, shortage of foreign exchange and destruction of wheat crops in the floods. People are standing in long queues to buy singular bags of flour.
The price of flour reached Rs130 per kg, fine flour was available for Rs150 and Chakki flour was selling at a price of Rs160 per kg. On the other hand, the 10kg flour bag provided by the federal government at the utility stores, which costs Rs650, and the cheap flour bag by the Sindh government, which costs Rs650 also disappeared from the market.
Moreover, due to the high cost of wheat and the shortage of gas, the price of roti has gone up to Rs25.
Chairman of Pakistan Flour Mills Association Sindh Region, Chauhdari Amir said, the country’s wheat reserves are decreasing. “The government is providing only 30 per cent of the wheat quota. We are buying 70 per cent of wheat from the open market”.
He said that the price of a 100kg sack of wheat has increased to Rs12,500.
The daily consumption of wheat in Karachi alone is 9,000 tonnes.
