KARACHI, Oct 10: The retail prices of various flour varieties maintained upward trend on Friday as retailers were charging Rs37-38 per kg for fine atta as against Rs35-36 a day earlier.

The 10-kg Ashrafi atta rate further jumped to record Rs350-360, from Rs330 on Thursday.

Majority of retailers, who had purchased the stocks of Ashrafi atta bag at Rs300-310, have suspended its sales to make windfalls on the piled-up inventory.

Retailers located in the residential areas were also demanding Rs190 for five-kg bag of chakki atta as compared to Rs170 two days back on plea that when the ex-mill rate of Ashrafi had surged to Rs335 from Rs300-310 how could they afford to sell it at the same rate.

However, there had been no change in the price of atta no. 2.5 at Rs35 per kg.

Retailers know that the consumers who can afford would definitely buy the quality-product at any cost, while the subsidised flour being provided by the government at utility stores lacks quality and only poor consumers are buying it.

Meanwhile, the Sindh government on Friday delayed the implementation of its Tuesday’s decision for provision of wheat flour (atta no.2.5) at Rs23.50 per kg at the designated retail outlets of the flour millers.

Naeem Ahmed Khan Malik, former chairman Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), said that the 72 mills would provide wheat flour to 360 registered retailers of the flour millers where flour would be sold at Rs23.50 per kg.

Besides, the mills had also started selling the wheat flour at Rs22 per kg at ex-mill rate outside their mills.

He said that the delay in selling the wheat flour at 360 shops in the city had been caused by late delivery of wheat allocation challans to the flour millers by the food department.

He said that millers had received the challans on October 9 instead of Tuesday.

The mills had submitted the challans in the banks on October 10 and hopefully customers would witness the availability of Rs23.50 per kg wheat flour in full swing from Monday.He said that the food department was providing about 179 tons of wheat per week per mill as against the requirement of 350 tons.

PFMA former chairman Shaikh Akhtar Hussain also attributed the same reasons for delay in selling wheat flour at retail shops.

He said that Korangi area had the highest number of mills with 31 followed by 10 mills in Site area and 18 in District Central.

On the contrary, the Deputy Director Sindh Food Department Lal Khan Jatoi said the 360 designated retail shops of the flour mills were ready to sell the subsidised flour and the department would start monitoring the availability of flour at these shops from Saturday.

He said that the department would also check the quality of the flour and would take legal action against the mills who tried to provide sub-standard quality.