KARACHI: After increasing Rs2 to Rs20 per piece on various varieties of roti in June this year, tandoor operators have once again started charging Rs3 to Rs10 for different varieties of roti and chapatti blaming soaring rate of flour in the open market.

They said the price hike in flour was unbearable for them and would be passed on to consumers.

A well established tandoor owner in Federal B. Area said he was considering raising prices of roti after Rabiul Awwal.

However, consumers believe that roti makers have been jacking up prices, but reducing the weight, which has so far been going unnoticed by the government.

Consumers say weight of dough has also been reduced

Owner of a tandoor in Ranchhor Line, Salman Mian Arian, said that tandoor and chapatti makers in the city had started pushing up the rate after steep rise in fine flour rate to Rs5,700 per 50kg from Rs4,100 in June 2022.

“More than 70 per cent of tandoor owners have implemented the new rates,” he claimed.

The new rate of roti was Rs25 as compared to Rs20 while good quality chapatti was selling at Rs18-20 in many areas as compared to Rs15, he said, adding that Sheermal and Taftaan prices had also been increased by Rs5 to Rs10 to Rs70 and Rs80 depending on the areas.

“We do not use flour No2.5 in the making of chapatti, naan, Taftaan and Sheermal. Flour No2.5 is basically used in houses for making chapatti, which is lower quality than branded fine flour,” Salman said.

Bread

In bread and confectionary items, no relief is in sight so far. From wheat, consumers get flour No2.5, fine flour, super fine flour and choker (bran). However, the main focus of the government is to provide cheaper flour No2.5 to the masses, leaving other varieties free for the millers to play havoc with the prices.

Karachi Bread Association (KBA) general secretary Haroon Iqbal Sheikh said bread makers lifted 90pc of Maida from the mills and 10pc from brokers. Maida holds 40pc share in total 65pc share of overall raw material ingredients used in making bread and other confectionery items. “We cannot mix Maida with flour No2.5 to make bread and other items,” he claimed.

The price of Maida (super fine flour) has plunged to Rs5,500 per 50kg bag from Rs5,700, but it is yet to bring any benefit in bread prices.

“In case Maida price falls to Rs5,000 per 50kg bag, the price of bread may be slashed,” he said.

Haroon was of the view that rising prices of bread and other items were taking away buyers of branded bread. The Sindh government should also consider fixing Maida rate so that people could continue buying bread.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2022