Minister orders food price monitoring amid surge

Dawn reported that the National Price Monitoring Committee met on Wednesday under the chair of Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal. The panel examined gaps between wholesale and retail rates, along with monthly and weekly inflation readings. The minister voiced alarm at higher costs for wheat flour and asked provincial and district officials to step up oversight of supply flows, hoarding and unjustified price hikes.

Transport fares were another focus, with authorities asked to compare current fares against those seen after the last fuel price increase. The exercise aims to show whether higher fuel costs led to disproportionate rises in fares. Separately, the Ministry of Food Security was asked to explain why DAP prices stayed high despite lower global prices, and the minister stressed that cheaper overseas rates should reach the domestic market.

Dairy and cooking oil items were also under review: the inspection and quality assessment report on ghee, edible oil and milk products is due within one week. If industry proposed third-party validation, the minister said its cost should fall on producers rather than the state. Provincial governments were also asked to enforce action against unjustified wholesale-retail gaps in major markets such as Lahore and Karachi.