HYDERABAD:
Wheat prices in Hyderabad’s open market have witnessed another sharp increase, with flour prices climbing by Rs17 per kilogram in just five days to reach Rs120 per kg. Citizens are feeling the pinch as the so-called “wheat mafia” exploits weak government oversight and stockpiles supplies for profiteering.
According to market sources, a 100-kg bag of wheat that was selling for Rs8,200 on August 27 is now priced at Rs9,200. As a result, flour that was available at Rs103 per kg has now risen to Rs120 per kg across most parts of the city.
Owners of neighborhood stone grinder shops or chakkis have staged a protest by displaying black banners outside their outlets. The Hyderabad Stone Grinder Owners Association General Secretary Najmuddin Chauhan said the government must immediately release wheat from official warehouses to curb the mafia’s influence and bring down prices.
The mafia, Chauhan explained, was a loosely knit group of mega traders with access to huge amounts of liquid cash and thus able to hold wheat, or any other commodity, in warehouses to hike the price.
He pointed out that while the Punjab government has set official wheat prices at Rs2,900 per 40 kg for Lahore and Rawalpindi, and Rs2,800 for Rahim Yar Khan and Sadiqabad, it has simultaneously banned inter-provincial wheat movement. This, he said, has given Sindh’s wheat mafia a free hand to dictate both prices and supply.
Market insiders claim the mafia is sitting on large stocks, creating artificial shortages while charging arbitrary rates. Despite this, neither the Sindh government nor the district administration has taken action.
The Hyderabad Stone Grinder Owners Welfare Association said that the Food Department still has around two million wheat bags in warehouses, purchased earlier at Rs100 per kg. “Every year, government wheat is released in September, but this time the process has not even started. This delay is directly benefiting hoarders,” Chauhan told The Express Tribune.
He added that last season the mafia bought wheat at around Rs5,500 per 100-kg bag and is now selling it at exorbitant rates. The association has demanded that the government intervene urgently, seize hoarded stocks, and ensure fair distribution to stabilise prices.
