Trade, industry denounce wheat price spike

Hyderabad SITE Association of Trade and Industry chairman Zubair Ahmed Ghanghra has condemned a Rs2,500 rise in the cost of each wheat bag, according to The Express Tribune. He argues that the government has been unable to rein in inflation and shield consumers from costlier food. Wheat and flour price increases, he said, are adding to the strain on low and middle income households already struggling with persistent inflation.

Ghanghra said earlier wheat purchases from farmers, funded through provincial budget allocations, had helped keep prices stable. He linked the halt in government procurement to the recent price increases, and questioned how IMF conditions were shaping policy, urging authorities to put food affordability first in talks with the lender. He also contrasted the scrutiny applied to relief measures with less concern over lawmakers' pay and benefits and purchases of vehicles and aircraft.

He called for an investigation into the reasons for higher wheat and flour prices, along with strict action against hoarding and profiteering, and said stronger market monitoring could curb excessive pricing. Ghanghra warned that without matching income growth, rising essential prices continue to erode purchasing power, and demanded concrete relief rather than promises.