TABDEELEY :P:lol::lol::lol:
Kiou apnay he moun Pay Tamach marthay Ho.
'Roti' price jumps with increase in 'atta' rate
Khalid Iqbal
Friday, August 30, 2013
From Print Edition
Rawalpindi
Naanbais and atta sellers are looting people with both hands, thanks to the apathy of the concerned officials of the City District Government, Rawalpindi, who are not playing their part and reluctant to take action against hoarders and profiteers.
Flourmill owners, wholesalers and retail shopkeepers are all hand in glove in increasing the price of atta. A twenty-kilogram bag of atta is being sold at different rates in the market.
Naanbais are taking full advantage of the situation as they have increased the prices of naan and roti on their own. Naanbais are selling naan and roti at different rates in different localities at
Rs8, Rs9 and Rs10. Some naanbais did not increase prices, but decreased the weight of naan and roti to 70 grams instead of the official weight of 100 grams.
The price of atta is going up with each passing day as the Punjab government is yet to fix its ex-mill rate and unable to provide wheat quota to the mills.
The price of wheat has gone up once again in the open market by Rs125 per 40 kilograms from Rs1,325 to Rs1,450 and a twenty-kilogram bag of atta is being sold for Rs860 to 880 in the open market and some retail shopkeepers are selling a 20-kilogram bag for Rs900. The majority of wholesalers and retail shopkeepers have hoarded atta bags to sell them at higher prices. They are also sending atta bags to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to earn more profit.
Rawalpindi Naanbais Welfare Association (RNWA) General Secretary Shafiq Qureshi admitted all facts and figures, saying that the Punjab government is continuously increasing prices of atta bags. How could we sell a roti for Rs6 and a naan for Rs7 in this situation when we are paying Rs250 to Rs400 extra on a 100-kilogram sack, he claimed. If the City District Government, Rawalpindi, used force against us, we would close down all tandoors, he warned.
According to the All-Pakistan Flourmills Association (APFA), if the government did not give wheat quota to mills, the price of a 20-kilogram atta bag would increase more and more, and it would lead to a crisis in the coming days.
Pakistan Flourmills Association (Punjab) Vice-Chairman Khawaja Rehan Anjum said that they have not purchased wheat because the Punjab government has not yet provided them with their quota.
The wheat price is increasing daily in the open market. It has gone up from Rs1,325 to Rs1,450, therefore, atta is sold at high prices. If the government did not give us wheat quota, the price of a 20-kilogram bag will further increase, he warned. We are expecting that the Punjab government will set the wheat price at less than Rs1,250, he hoped.
When The News contacted District Food Controller (DFC) Shabbir Khan Niazi, he said that they are strictly monitoring flourmills, wholesalers and retail shopkeepers who are robbing people by selling atta at higher prices. I have constituted special checking teams to stop hoarding and price hike, he said.
Only consumers are facing financial burden of increase in atta price.
The mill owners are selling wheat at higher prices in the open market and pouring down all burden on consumers and selling atta bags at higher prices. Similarly, retail shopkeepers are selling atta bags after adding their profit.
Shazia Munawar, a housewife, said that the government is trying to snatch atta and roti from people. She said that the rates of ghee, cooking oil, sugar, tea and pulses are constantly increasing as there is no check on prices.
Muhammad Bashir, another consumer, said that the masses were at the mercy of hoarders and profiteers. He blasted the hike in atta price and demanded of the government to take remedial measures in this regard. Naanbais have increased the prices of roti and naan without any permission from the local government, which shows that there was no check on them, he denounced.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-199020-Roti-price-jumps-with-increase-in-atta-rate