SWABI, April 4 The price of flour shot up by Rs100 per 20kg bag during the last five days and local traders say further rise in the price cannot be ruled out in the next few days.

Traders and retailers told Dawn on Saturday that the flour price might continue to increase till the start of harvesting and thrashing season of the wheat crop in the district and its suburbs. It is expected that the harvesting and thrashing of the crop will start at the end of the current month or early next month.

Flour prices in the local market range from Rs32 to Rs34 per kilogramme and a 20kg bag can be acquired at Rs640 to Rs650. Consumers said both flourmill owners and officials admitted that the 20kg bag of flour was available at Rs480 to Rs490 in Punjab.

Fine quality flour (20kg bag) could be acquired at Rs650 in the local markets but in far-flung areas and Gadoon Amazai its price might be more than that due to expensive transportation, said a dealer. “The price of 20kg ordinary quality of flour is Rs640 in the local markets,” he said.

Consumers said the 20kg flour bag was available at Rs540 to Rs550 just four to five days ago.

Some consumers said they acquired flour from Punjab through public transport vehicles plying between Swabi and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. “This strategy has worked and proved fruitful,” said Javid Khan of Kernel Sher Kili. “I don't purchase flour from the local market because I have friends who could bring flour for me from Punjab.”

“Each year, before harvesting, we witness an unprecedented increase in flour prices and this year the same thing has happened once again,” said Naeem Khan of Topi.

The millers blamed the provincial government for denying them adequate wheat supply from its stocks, forcing them to increase the prices. They said there was gap in demanded grinding capacity and provision of wheat by the government.

They said that after the harvesting the wheat flour prices could be decreased.

However, insiders said it had been usually witnessed that after the thrashing of the wheat, hoarders, flourmill owners and profiteers became active and hoarded wheat after purchasing it from the open market, causing shortage of wheat.

They said each year the country imported wheat but the government had failed to adopt a comprehensive policy, keeping in mind the requirements of the country's population.

Officials claimed that there was ample flour available in the district. They claimed that there was neither any shortage of wheat nor of flour but traders and retailers had increased the flour price in the district.