Pakistan is possibly facing its worst-ever food crisis due to shortage of wheat in different parts of the country, as local media reports suggest. Stampedes have been reported from markets in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
The local media blames the administration for the crisis, saying there has been a total mismanagement both by the the food department and flour mills.
As per reports, the prices of wheat flour, which is one of the key constituents of chapati or roti, have soared amid the acute shortage of wheat. In Karachi, flour prices rose as high as Rs 140/kg-160/kg. In several other parts of the country, a 10 kg bag of flour is costing people around Rs 1,500 and a 20 kg bag at Rs 2,800.
According to a report published in a Pakistani daily ‘The Express Tribune’, thousands of people stand in serpentine queues and spend hours to get the subsidized bags of flour as they are short in supply in the normal market.
One of the ministers in the Balochistan province, Zamarak Achakzai, said the food crisis might worsen as the wheat stocks of in some regions have completely exhausted, a report said.
Chaotic scenes are being witnessed near vehicles that go to distribute flour. These wheat and flour loaded mini-trucks and vans are escorted by armed guards to avoid clashes with beneficiaries. A number of such clashes have already been reported at flour dealers, ANI reported citing the local media.
Since the prices of wheat and flour are relentleslly rising, it has become harder for low-income groups to buy a bag of flour in Pakistan and people are looking to the government for help.
Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government hiked the prices of wheat flour by 25 percent to around 62 percent for sale through the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) with immediate effect to reduce the impact of untargeted subsidies, according to Pakistan’s largest newspaper The Dawn.
