Hyderabad Chakki Owners Reject Rs12,500 Wheat Issue Price, Warn Flour Will Cost More
The Hyderabad Atta Chakki Owners Social Welfare Association has rejected the Sindh government’s decision to raise the wheat issue price Sindh’s Food Department charges flour mills and chakki owners, saying the jump from Rs8,000 to Rs12,500 per 100kg bag will push flour prices up and add to inflation across the province. The rejection came from the association’s president, Haji Mohammad Memon, along with office-bearers of the body on Friday.
Why Chakki Owners Call the Wheat Issue Price Sindh Hike Unjustified
The association argued that the Rs4,500 increase per bag, more than half the old rate, would land directly on ordinary buyers. Small neighbourhood chakkis grind flour for households across Hyderabad’s streets and localities on thin margins, and they cannot absorb such a jump. The owners said they would have no choice but to raise flour rates, passing the burden to families already stretched by rising food costs. They called the decision unjustified and demanded it be withdrawn.
Hoarding Allegation After the Announcement
The chakki owners also claimed that hoarders moved immediately after the announcement. They said the open-market price of wheat climbed from Rs13,100 to Rs14,300 per 100kg in its wake, blaming stockpilers for exploiting the policy change to squeeze extra profit from a staple food. The association demanded that the government act against hoarding and recover wheat stocks it alleges are being withheld from the market to engineer higher prices.
Demand to Restore Rs8,000 and Warning of Unrest
The office-bearers demanded that the chief minister, the food minister and the chief secretary restore the earlier Rs8,000 issue price and take firm action against hoarders. They warned that unchecked price rises would anger consumers and could trigger public unrest. The association has raised the alarm before: earlier this year it wrote to the chief minister complaining that the Food Department had cut the wheat quota for atta chakkis from 20,000 to 10,000 metric tonnes, while mills received a far larger share, and that daily challans of only 88 kilograms per stone were nowhere near enough for urban demand.
What Happens Next
The hike lands amid Sindh’s continuing wheat troubles. The Food Department procured less than eight per cent of its one-million-tonne target by early June 2026, leaving the open market to set the pace. Wheat now trades around Rs10,900 per 100kg in Hyderabad and Rs11,100 in Karachi, while retail flour sells between Rs135 and Rs140 per kg, far above the officially notified subsidised rate of Rs107 per kg. The government has not yet responded to the association’s demand, and flour sellers across Hyderabad are waiting to see whether the Rs12,500 rate stands or is rolled back.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the wheat issue price in Sindh now?
The Sindh government has raised the issue price to Rs12,500 per 100kg bag for flour mills and chakki owners, up from Rs8,000.
How will the hike affect flour prices?
Chakki owners say they cannot absorb the extra Rs4,500 per bag and will pass it on to buyers, which means dearer flour for households across Sindh.
Who is demanding the price be reversed?
The Hyderabad Atta Chakki Owners Social Welfare Association, led by president Haji Mohammad Memon, has asked the chief minister, the food minister and the chief secretary to restore the Rs8,000 price and act against hoarding.
