KARACHI, Jan 9: The shortage of wheat flour persisted in the city on Wednesday and it continued to be sold at more than Rs17.5 a kilogram fixed by the Sindh government.

City government officials, tasked to check profiteering and hoarding, visited the market on Wednesday afternoon after receiving the Sindh government’s retail price notification, but could not compile a report about fines imposed on retailers and flour millers.

Although the market did not react to the provincial government’s price decision, a mill-owner said that wheat prices had declined to Rs2,100 a 100-kg bag from Rs2,200.

In many areas, retailers continued to sell whole wheat flour at more than Rs30 a kg while refined white flour was being sold at between Rs28 and Rs29. Fine flour was selling at Rs 28-29 a kg.

The city government’s in-charge of the price control campaign and additional EDO (Revenue) Matanat Ali Khan said he had received the Sindh government’s notification at 1.30pm and 36 officials (18 DDOs and 18 Mukhtiarkars) had visited the markets and flour mills in different areas.

He said that the officials had taken action against some retailers and flour millers but he did not have the exact data about the amount of fines. He said that even small shopkeepers were involved in hoarding flour and one shopkeeper had been fined Rs25,000 in Malir and sent to jail.

When asked how would the officials apprehend retailers not selling flour at the fixed rate because there were three or four varieties being sold at varying prices, he said officials would focus on mill flour about which he had received the notification. He said that the campaign would be more effective from Thursday.

It may be recalled that the city government’s performance in curbing price hike during Ramzan had left much to be desired because it lacked staff to cover the entire city.

Chairman of the Sindh chapter of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Iqbal Dawood said that people thronged the stalls set up outside the mills where flour was being sold at Rs16 a kg and in some city areas at Rs17.

He claimed that the supply of flour to the stalls outside mills was sufficient and 140 such stalls had been set up in the city.

He said that consumers in other residential areas would be able to buy flour at reduced rate after a few days. He said that the Food Department would start releasing wheat for the next 15 days from Jan 11.