All you need to know about Pak flour crisis

The acute shortage of wheat has been a cause of the recent crisis in Pakistan. India’s neighbour has been facing one of its worst-ever flour crises amid shortage of wheat.The prices of wheat flour, which is one of the key constituents of the staple diet of people in Pakistan, have skyrocketed amid the ongoing crisis. In Karachi, flour is being sold for Rs 140/kg-160/kg. Meanwhile, in Islamabad and Peshawar, a 10kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs 1,500 and a 20kg bag at Rs 2,800.In Punjab province, the prices of flour have been increased to Rs 160/kg by the mill owners. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a 20-kg flour bag is being sold for Rs 3100 after the government failed to control the price of the stable. The high demand for wheat flour in the country has also been causing clashes and chaos. Stampedes were reported from several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan provinces due to the crisis. Tens of thousands spend hours daily to get the subsidized bags of flour that are already short in supply in the market. Chaotic scenes are often witnessed as people gather around vehicles pushing each other as the mini-trucks and vans escorted by armed guards go about distributing the flour. A number of clashes have been reported at flour dealers and tandoors,’ ANI reported citing The Express Tribune.Recently, a death was reported amid the Mirpurkhas stampede where the Sindh government's sale of subsidized flour to the people took place. According to media reports, the death occurred near the commissioner's office when two vehicles carrying 200 bags each were selling flour outside Gulistan-e-Baldia Park.“The police said that a 40-year-old labourer Harsingh Kolhi fell on the road during the chaos and was trampled upon by the surrounding people. Kolhi's family has demanded action against the officials of the food department,” ANI reported.The stampede was caused due to the gathering of people around the vehicles who were pushing each other to take the bag of flour from the mini-trucks selling 10-kg flour bags at the rate of Rs 65/kg.Similar scenes of chaos were seen in other parts of Sindh where flour was being sold through mini-trucks or vans. Two women and a minor girl suffered injuries when a stampede broke out outside a flour mill in Shaheed Benazirabad's Sakrand town while purchasing flour at the government rate.Balochistan's Minister for Food Zamarak Achakzai warned that if the country doesn’t get nearly 400,000 sacks of wheat, the crisis will intensify. He said the wheat stock in the province had "completely ended.""Out of 200,000 sacks of wheat, 10,000 sacks have been received," The Express Tribune quoted Achakzai as saying. "They had requested the Punjab CM to send 600,000 sacks," he added.Residents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have complained of wheat flour shortage calling on the government to end the crisis and provide subsidized flour, VOA Deewa said in a tweet.The shortage has also led to an increase in the prices of breads and bakery items. A number of clashes have been reported at flour dealers and tandoors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past weeks over the issue of prices. A few days back, one passerby was killed in Pishtakhara when two locals clashed with a tandoor owner over the price of bread and then opened fire on him. Several others were injured during the distribution of subsidized flour.Reason for the crisisGovernment's failure to figure out the import estimates of wheat can be termed as a significant factor leading to crisis. According to media reports, the clash between the federal and Punjab governments was responsible for the ongoing wheat crisis in Pakistan.The Punjab Food Department was unable to properly estimate and make a note of the requirement of wheat to be imported. “Balochistan did not receive the required stock of wheat,” said Achakzai. According to Achakzai, Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi had promised to send the complete stock of wheat, however, he did not fulfill his commitment.He said that Balochistan was 85 percent dependent on Punjab and Sindh for wheat and added that both provinces had imposed a ban on the export of the commodity.(With inputs from agencies)

All you need to know about Pak flour crisis
The acute shortage of wheat has been a cause of the recent crisis in Pakistan. India’s neighbour has been facing one of its worst-ever flour crises amid shortage of wheat.The prices of wheat flour, which is one of the key constituents of the staple diet of people in Pakistan, have skyrocketed amid the ongoing crisis. In Karachi, flour is being sold for Rs 140/kg-160/kg. Meanwhile, in Islamabad and Peshawar, a 10kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs 1,500 and a 20kg bag at Rs 2,800.In Punjab province, the prices of flour have been increased to Rs 160/kg by the mill owners. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a 20-kg flour bag is being sold for Rs 3100 after the government failed to control the price of the stable. The high demand for wheat flour in the country has also been causing clashes and chaos. Stampedes were reported from several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan provinces due to the crisis. Tens of thousands spend hours daily to get the subsidized bags of flour that are already short in supply in the market. Chaotic scenes are often witnessed as people gather around vehicles pushing each other as the mini-trucks and vans escorted by armed guards go about distributing the flour. A number of clashes have been reported at flour dealers and tandoors,’ ANI reported citing The Express Tribune.Recently, a death was reported amid the Mirpurkhas stampede where the Sindh government's sale of subsidized flour to the people took place. According to media reports, the death occurred near the commissioner's office when two vehicles carrying 200 bags each were selling flour outside Gulistan-e-Baldia Park.“The police said that a 40-year-old labourer Harsingh Kolhi fell on the road during the chaos and was trampled upon by the surrounding people. Kolhi's family has demanded action against the officials of the food department,” ANI reported.The stampede was caused due to the gathering of people around the vehicles who were pushing each other to take the bag of flour from the mini-trucks selling 10-kg flour bags at the rate of Rs 65/kg.Similar scenes of chaos were seen in other parts of Sindh where flour was being sold through mini-trucks or vans. Two women and a minor girl suffered injuries when a stampede broke out outside a flour mill in Shaheed Benazirabad's Sakrand town while purchasing flour at the government rate.Balochistan's Minister for Food Zamarak Achakzai warned that if the country doesn’t get nearly 400,000 sacks of wheat, the crisis will intensify. He said the wheat stock in the province had "completely ended.""Out of 200,000 sacks of wheat, 10,000 sacks have been received," The Express Tribune quoted Achakzai as saying. "They had requested the Punjab CM to send 600,000 sacks," he added.Residents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have complained of wheat flour shortage calling on the government to end the crisis and provide subsidized flour, VOA Deewa said in a tweet.The shortage has also led to an increase in the prices of breads and bakery items. A number of clashes have been reported at flour dealers and tandoors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past weeks over the issue of prices. A few days back, one passerby was killed in Pishtakhara when two locals clashed with a tandoor owner over the price of bread and then opened fire on him. Several others were injured during the distribution of subsidized flour.Reason for the crisisGovernment's failure to figure out the import estimates of wheat can be termed as a significant factor leading to crisis. According to media reports, the clash between the federal and Punjab governments was responsible for the ongoing wheat crisis in Pakistan.The Punjab Food Department was unable to properly estimate and make a note of the requirement of wheat to be imported. “Balochistan did not receive the required stock of wheat,” said Achakzai. According to Achakzai, Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi had promised to send the complete stock of wheat, however, he did not fulfill his commitment.He said that Balochistan was 85 percent dependent on Punjab and Sindh for wheat and added that both provinces had imposed a ban on the export of the commodity.(With inputs from agencies)