KARACHI: Despite the announcement of reduced prices for different types of flour and roti by Commissioner Hasan Naqvi, consumers in Karachi have yet to see any actual relief in the markets.
According to a notification issued on March 1, the official retail prices for flour No 2.5, fine flour, and chakki flour have been lowered to Rs87, Rs92, and Rs100 per kg, respectively. These rates were previously Rs89, Rs96, and Rs105 per kg, as set on December 26, 2024.
However, in reality, retailers continue to sell flour No 2.5 at Rs100 per kg, fine flour at Rs110 per kg, and chakki flour at Rs120 per kg, leaving consumers to bear the higher prices despite the official reductions.
The commissioner also reduced the price of a 100-gram chapatti from Rs12 to Rs10, while the prices for different types of naan have also been lowered — tandoori naan (120 grams) is now officially priced at Rs15, regular naan (140-150 grams) at Rs18, and large naan (180 grams) at Rs23. These were previously priced at Rs16, Rs20, and Rs25, respectively.
However, in practice, most tandoor shops continue to sell chapatti for Rs15, with tandoori naan typically priced at Rs25, and some vendors even charging Rs30 for it.
A local roti maker commented that these price reductions were introduced specifically for Ramadan.
Moreover, consumers struggle to verify whether they are receiving the correct weight for each type of roti, as most tandoor shops do not have proper weighing scales, making it difficult to enforce the commissioner’s pricing effectively.
