USC increases price of 20-kg ‘atta’ bag by Rs90

Rawalpindi

The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) has increased the price of 20-kg ‘atta’ bag by Rs90 through a notification issued here on Wednesday.

Now the new price of a 20-kg ‘atta’ bag is Rs735 against its previous price of Rs645.

On the other hand, ‘atta’ crisis has been worsening day-by-day, as retailers in the open market were selling it in ‘black’. A 20-kg ‘atta’ bag is being sold for Rs780 in the open market.

The Government of Punjab has increased the ex-mill rate of 20-kg ‘atta’ bag by Rs30, increasing its price from Rs618 to Rs648. While the City District Government, Rawalpindi, has fixed the price of a 20-kilogram bag at Rs670, but retailers were openly violating the orders and selling it in ‘black’.

Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Zonal Manager (ZM) Sardar Muhammad Khan, when contacted by ‘The News’, said that they have raised the ‘atta’ price due to increase in the rate of wheat by Rs300 per 40 kilograms. He said that flourmills refused to provide ‘atta’ to the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) on previous rate. “We are helpless in these circumstances,” he claimed. He admitted that the current price of ‘atta’ was unaffordable for the common man.

District Food Controller (DFC) Shabbir Khan Niazi told ‘The News’ that the provincial government has increased the ex-mill rate of a 20-kg ‘atta’ bag by Rs30 from its previous price of Rs618 to Rs648. The Punjab government has increased the ex-mill rate due to increase in wheat price, he said. He admitted that retailers in the open market were continuously trying to create an artificial shortage of ‘atta’ for earning extra profit. “But, we are taking strict legal action against profiteers,” he said. He also said that they have fixed the price of a 20-kilogram ‘atta’ bag at Rs670 against Rs645.

The reliable sources informed ‘The News’ that all government run warehouses were already packed with wheat. Some of these wheat warehouses were even over burdened due to bulk of wheat.

Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Punjab Chapter Chairman Chaudhry Abdul Jabbar said that they have increased the ‘atta’ price because the government has increased the wheat price by Rs300 per 40 kilograms. He said secondly they could not pay hefty fuel price adjustment charges in electricity bills. They will now have to pay the fuel price adjustment charges from their own pockets,” he said. According to Jabbar, around 10% flourmills had already stopped production because of high operating cost and with fuel price adjustment another 40 per cent flourmills would be forced to close down their units soon.

People belonging to different walks of life said that the government was crushing people with ever-increasing inflation in the country. The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) was set up to provide relief to people but consumers were neither getting relief from the USC nor from the open market, they said.

Bashir Ahmed, a consumer, said that the price of ‘atta’ has increased by Rs450 in four years from Rs285 to Rs735. “We cannot afford to buy ‘atta’ at higher prices,” he said. He said that the Punjab government reduces the price of ‘atta’ only in the month of Ramazan, what people should do in other months.

Shahbana Imtiaz, a housewife, said that it seems that there was no government in the country. “The government’s task is to provide more and more relief to the public and not to snatch each and every thing from people,” she said.

Posted in: Islamabad