The Pakistan Nanbai Association has announced that the price of bread will rise starting next week due to an increase in flour prices following the imposition of new taxes. The cost of a 79 kg sack of flour has surged from Rs6,500 to Rs8,700, while the price of a sack of fine flour has jumped from Rs7,200 to Rs9,000.
With an Rs100 increase in the price of a flour sack, the Nanbai Association has also decided to raise the prices of bread, naan, and paratha. The new prices will be Rs20 for red flour (pateeri) bread, Rs30 for yeast white flour bread, and Rs35 for paratha and roghani naan.
Shafiq Qureshi, the Central President of the Nanbai Association, informed The Express Tribune that the Punjab government’s promise to provide flour sacks at Rs6,500 for affordable bread has not been fulfilled. He added that this current price hike is temporary, and if the price of fine flour rises further by the end of this week, the price of bread will increase by another Rs5.
Discussing the industry’s challenges, Qureshi mentioned that there is currently a lack of gas supply, and the high costs of gas and electricity have made operations difficult. The price of a commercial gas cylinder has increased from Rs10,000 to Rs12,500, with another hike expected next week.