KARACHI: The price of moong pulse has hit an all-time record of Rs220-260 per kg in retail markets from Rs180-200 per kg in the last few days, while flour prices in Sindh have failed to show any signs of easing despite start of releasing of wheat stocks by Passco to the province on the direction of the federal government.

A wholesaler in Dandia Bazaar said moong price hovered between Rs210-225 per kg as compared to Rs170-185 per kg last month. He, however, said that the pulse hit an all-time high of Rs7,500 per 40 kg from Rs6,800 in Punjab.

"Traders in Punjab have resorted to hoarding as a result moong daal is not easily available," he added.

Meanwhile, flour price in Sindh stayed on the higher side despite provincial food minister Hari Ram Kishori Lal’s assurance on Dec 13 that price would reach Rs43 per kg within a week.

Lal hinted at drop in wheat flour price by Rs3 per kg to Rs43 within a week following signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Sindh Food Department with the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) for the procurement of 300,000 tonnes of wheat.

The provincial food department had earlier received 100,000 tonnes wheat from Passco which was being supplied to flour mills. Sindh had 800,000 tonnes of wheat stocks in its godowns which were sufficient for its needs and could last till the harvest of next crop; that’s why the government did not procure wheat last year from growers, the minister claimed.

The wheat being procured from Passco was supplied to flour mills at subsidised rate with 50 per cent cost shared by federal and provincial governments, but they were not passing on the benefit to consumers, Lal further said.

Chairman Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), Sindh Zone, Khalid Masood attributed the delay in price cut to delay in transportation of wheat and improper planning of the food department. “Some 75 operating flour mills in Karachi have received only 22,500 tonnes of wheat from the department between Dec 1-24 as against an allocation of 92,000 tonnes,” he said.

Karachi needs 7,000-8,000 tonnes of wheat per day but in the last three weeks only around 1,000 tonnes per day of the grain had arrived at the mills, the PFMA chief said.

In November, mills had arranged transport on their own to bring 46,000 tonnes out of total supply of 137,000 tonnes, he said. “It is not clear when the mills will get 300,000 tonnes of wheat in view of no reports of any transport arrangement so far,” he added.

Wheat price in open market has soared to Rs4,800 per 100 kg bag from Rs4,600-4,650 per 100kg bag prevailing in second week of December. The food department was providing wheat at Rs3,450 per 100kg. “We have not increased prices as the mills are utilising old wheat stocks,” Khalid said.

Costly sugar, pulses

Meanwhile, consumers are paying Rs160 per kg for gram pulse at retailers’ end as its wholesale price had risen to Rs125-132 per kg from Rs110-120 per kg last month.

Masoor’s wholesale price is now tagged at Rs105 per kg as compared to Rs90-95 per kg while retail price is pegged at Rs120 per kg. Mash’s wholesale rate rose by Rs10 per kg to Rs180 per kg but retailers are demanding Rs180-200 per kg depending on locality.

Sugar price in wholesale market is now Rs69 per kg, up by Rs2-3 per kg from last week due to the closure of sugar mills. In retail markets, the sweetener is being sold at Rs75 per kg.

Patron-in-Chief Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association (KWGA), Anis Majeed said moong imports from Burma and Thailand have gone down due to low crop while world market rates stand at $900-1,025 per tonne.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2019