Pakistan's staple turns scarce: Peshawar pays Rs 3,300 for 20kg flour as subsidised supply dries up

The price of a 20-kilogram bag of coarse flour has risen to Rs3,300 in Peshawar, pushing up the price of roti and fuelling public anger over allegations of an artificially created shortage in the region.

Government-subsidised flour has largely disappeared from the open market, allowing commercial rates to climb, according to an ANI report that cited The Express Tribune. A 20kg bag of fine flour sells for Rs3,120, an 80kg bag of coarse flour has reached Rs 13,200 and 20kg of chokar costs Rs 1,480. Flour dealers have reportedly made crores of rupees in profit within days.

Bakers have raised the price of a 50-gram roti from Rs 20 to Rs 30, a 50% rise, ANI reported. In markets including Khyber Bazaar, Ashraf Road, Karachi Market, Namak Mandi and Government College Chowk, single rotis have reportedly stopped selling. Customers are offered double rotis for Rs40 instead. Residents also complain that the weight of the roti keeps falling.


Law-enforcement agencies have begun monitoring major dealers and flour warehouses in the city after the allegations of an artificial shortage, ANI reported. It added that the Peshawar administration has taken no visible action. Citizens have asked authorities to enforce official prices and prescribed weights for roti.

What the Food Department says

The Food Department said subsidised flour is still being distributed across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It said 417,168 bags were supplied at official rates last week through 1,611 active dealers. Peshawar Division received 101,955 bags, Malakand 120,737, Mardan 59,389, Kohat 42,682, Dera Ismail Khan 41,688, Hazara 38,129 and Bannu 12,588.

According to the Express Tribune, the department also said 3,000 metric tonnes of government wheat from the provincial strategic reserve is released daily to flour mills. It said citizens can buy 20kg bags of official flour at Rs2,520 through selected dealers, which is Rs780 below the Peshawar open-market price for coarse flour. Eight flour mills were fined for violating standard operating procedures, the newspaper reported.

Prices have been rising nationwide

Official data shows flour has been getting more expensive across Pakistan. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said the average price of a 20kg wheat flour bag was Rs2,697.45 in the week ended October 1, up 0.29% on the previous week and 32.65% higher than a year earlier. The PBS average covers 17 urban centres.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has faced concerns over wheat supply before. In October 2025, ANI reported that the provincial government had asked Punjab to lift restrictions on the movement of wheat and flour. The province, which is short of wheat, needs roughly 14,500 tonnes a day from inter-provincial supplies, according to the letter ANI reported. The Express Tribune report on the current price rise does not link it to those restrictions.

(With inputs from ANI)