Flour prices in Pakistan's Islamabad and  Rawalpindi cities have spiked in recent times with concerned officers only doing lip service and paperwork rather than taking concrete steps to stop smuggling and hoarding to control flour which was being sold in ‘black’.

Over 70 per cent flourmill owners are not purchasing government wheat from the District Food Department due to its exorbitant prices and as a result public is buying ‘atta’ in ‘black’ at skyrocketing prices but nobody cares about it, reported The News International.

The flourmill owners are purchasing wheat privately and selling ‘atta’ bags at the price of gold but bosses are busy in other works rather than providing relief to innocent people, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

Giving shock to consumers, a 15-kilogram ‘atta’ bag is being sold between Rs2250 to Rs2500 in the open market.

Deputy Director (Food) Ghulam Abbas Mehar told ‘The News’ that the Punjab government fixed the rate of 40-kilogram wheat at Rs4700 against Rs3900 therefore majority of flourmill owners are not purchasing government wheat. Punjab government had a fixed rate of 40-kilogram wheat at Rs3900 which was reasonable and affordable for flourmill owners.

“How flourmill owners could purchase expensive government wheat,” he said.

“In this situation, the food department could not control ‘Atta’ prices because it was the duty of local administration,” he claimed. “If the Punjab government does not reduce government rates of wheat, flour prices will further increase in coming days,” he warned.