QUETTA: Balochistan is facing an acute flour crisis as the price of a 20-kilogram bag has surged to Rs. 2,300, despite the provincial food department having eight lakh wheat bags in stock earlier this year.
Officials revealed that the department failed to procure wheat during March and April and instead sold off the old stock, leaving the province without reserves. The shortage has pushed flour prices to record highs over the past three weeks, further burdening the public.
The food department, after securing cabinet approval, sold the existing wheat stock at throwaway prices, citing fears that the grain could spoil in warehouses. As a result, the department incurred losses amounting to Rs. 6 billion.
The worsening shortage has intensified public hardships, with no immediate relief in sight.
Balochistan is confronting a major wheat crisis after the province’s official food reserves were completely exhausted, officials had confirmed last week.
The situation has become critical because the provincial food department did not purchase any new wheat for the current 2024-25 year. This has resulted in the government’s wheat stock falling to zero.
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While the provincial cabinet had previously approved using old reserves from 2023, those are now gone. This leaves the province with no wheat allocated for the crucial period between September 2025 and March 2026, raising fears of a severe shortage of wheat and flour.
