Flour and sugar prices increase at government utility stores in Pakistan

Islamabad: The Pakistan government has announced a new hike in the prices of essential commodities including flour, sugar and ghee at government utility stores across the country. The price of wheat flour has been hiked by 62% to Rs 64.8 per kg from Rs40. This is a significant increase since wheat flour is the country’s most important staple flood which is used to make roti and naan that most Pakistanis eat with every meal. Under the new rates for utility stores, the price of sugar has been raised from Rs70 per kg to Rs89 - a 27% increase. The price of ghee has been increased by Rs75 per kg and is now available at Rs375 per kg. In comparison, 1 kg of ghee now costs around Rs500 per kg in the open market or private stores. The change will affect middle and low-income group buyers who rely on government-operated utility stores where basic commodities are generally cheaper than private supermarkets. Utility Stores Corporation (USC) is the country’s largest network of convenience ...