Wheat scarcity and restrictions raise food security risks.
Islamabad Jan 14 2026
A deepening flour shortage is tightening its grip across Pakistan as wheat scarcity, movement restrictions, and unequal distribution policies push prices beyond the reach of majority. With open market arrivals shrinking and government rate flour vanishing from shelves, economists, traders, and consumer are urging immediate government action to stabilise supplies and prevent a food security crisis.
Business leader and former Islamabad Chamber of Commerce president Shahid Rasheed Butt said wheat prices have surged to between Rs 2900 and Rs 3150 per 40 kilograms, placing severe strain on flour mills and raising the risk of supply disruptions. He said many mills are operating under loss making conditions, while others have already halted production.
Open market wheat arrivals have dropped sharply, while subsidised government wheat is reaching only a limited number of mills. Flour prices have risen again across several cities in Punjab by Rs 50 to Rs 70 per 15 kilogram bag. In Quetta, prices jumped by about Rs 1000 per 50 kilogram bag within a month.
Mr Butt said most mills rely heavily on food department wheat, but unequal allocation has distorted the market. Mills receiving subsidised wheat at Rs 2900 per bag enjoy a clear retail advantage, while those forced to buy from the open market at Rs 3000 to Rs 3150 per bag face mounting losses. As a result, nearly half of the flour mills have suspended operations, reducing supply and intensifying shortages.
Punjab authorities have also imposed permit based restrictions on interprovincial movement of wheat and flour, further disrupting supply chains. The system has been criticised by millers as inconsistent and discriminatory, creating artificial bottlenecks at provincial borders. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa faces particularly acute stress, with available stocks sufficient for only about 27 days and nearly 80 percent of mills shut due to lack of wheat.
Mr Butt called for strict accountability within food distribution systems, equitable allocation of wheat to all operational mills, and an immediate lifting of interprovincial movement restrictions.
Policy gaps and new requirements have widened shortages at the retail level. Poultry and livestock feed mills consumed more than 1.6 million tonnes of wheat within four months after harvest, diverting significant volumes away from human consumption.
For masses struggling with high inflation, the impact is severe. Flour provides roughly 72 percent of daily caloric intake, and rising prices are forcing families to cut consumption or shift to lower quality substitutes.
The government must intervene urgently through stock releases, policy correction, and fair distribution, Mr Butt said, warning that delays could turn the current shortage into a full scale food security emergency.
Leave a Reply