Food Inflation Pakistan: Onions, Wheat, Atta & the Kitchen Budget (2026)
Food is where Pakistanis feel inflation first — it’s a third of the CPI basket and most of a poor family’s spending. This guide tracks food inflation right now: what’s soaring, what’s easing, and why the kitchen budget stays under pressure even as headline CPI cools.
Quick answer: In September 2026, onions rose 29% in a month (+125% YoY), wheat +41% YoY, wheat flour +32% YoY. Relief: tomatoes -25%, chicken -8%, eggs -6%. The SPI (essential items) runs at 8.4% YoY — weekly readings hit 11.5%.
In this guide
Food prices right now
PBS September 2026 (month-on-month): onions +29.17%, wheat +3.86%, besan +2.74%, wheat flour +2.28%, masoor +1.56%. Falling: tomatoes -24.67%, chicken -8.14%, eggs -5.92%, potatoes -4.19%, fresh vegetables -1.49%, sugar -0.88%. The monthly food picture is mixed — but the yearly one is brutal (below).
The staples: wheat, atta, onions
- Onions: +125.48% YoY — crop disruption made the humble onion 2026’s inflation villain, up 29% in September alone.
- Wheat: +40.96% YoY — the staple grain’s surge feeds directly into atta.
- Wheat flour (atta): +31.71% YoY — the 20kg bag is the single most politically sensitive price in Pakistan.
For context: in May 2023, urban food inflation hit 48.1% and rural 52.4% — today’s food pain is milder but the same staples are involved. See 2023’s peak.
What’s getting cheaper
Tomatoes crashed 25% in September (seasonal glut), chicken fell 8%, eggs 6%, potatoes 4%. These swings are normal — perishables move fast both ways — which is why economists watch core inflation (8.6% urban) for the underlying trend.
Why food inflation stays high
Four structural reasons: harvest volatility (floods, heat, pests); supply chains — multiple middlemen between farm and mandi; input costs — diesel (+37.7% YoY) and fertiliser raise farmgate costs; and policy — wheat support prices and export decisions ripple into atta. Until these are fixed, food will keep ambushing the CPI. The fuel story shows the diesel link.
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Food inflation: FAQs
What is food inflation in Pakistan now?
The SPI (essential items) is 8.4% YoY (Sep 2026); weekly readings reached 11.5% in early October.
Why are onion prices so high in Pakistan?
Crop disruption: onions rose 29% in September 2026 alone and are 125% dearer than a year ago.
What is the price trend of wheat flour (atta)?
Up 31.7% year-on-year (Sep 2026), tracking the 41% rise in wheat.
Which food items got cheaper recently?
Tomatoes (-25%), chicken (-8%), eggs (-6%) and potatoes (-4%) fell in September 2026.
