Sindh cuts wheat release price by Rs500 to Rs4,500 per 40kg

The Sindh cabinet on Tuesday cut the release price of official wheat by Rs500, from Rs5,000 to Rs4,500 per 40 kilogrammes, after market prices dipped, and told flour mills to pass the saving on to customers, Dawn and The Express Tribune reported.

The price cut

Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced the decision at a press conference after the cabinet meeting. He said it would bring Sindh’s rate in line with other provinces. The two reports give slightly different effects on flour: Dawn quotes Memon as saying the cut would lower flour by Rs15 per kilogramme, while The Express Tribune says the move had already led to a fall of Rs17 per kilogramme. We cannot say which is the final retail figure, and prices will differ by city.

The cut follows a month of sharp swings. On October 8, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah approved releasing government wheat at Rs12,500 per 100kg from October 15 after Karachi millers raised flour prices by Rs14 a kilo; read our report on Sindh’s wheat release and the flour price rise. The prime minister later set an indicative wheat price of Rs4,500 per maund for 2027, which we covered in the Rs4,500 wheat price for 2027.

Other cabinet decisions

• A $1 billion urban development programme, with Asian Development Bank support, for five divisional headquarters in Sindh, focused on water supply, drainage, sanitation and solid waste.
• Registration of the Lady Dufferin Hospital Trust under the Sindh Trusts Act 2020, and draft rules to register and regulate charities under the 2019 charities law.
• Rs502.409 million extra for five schemes in Jamshoro district, including water supply and reverse osmosis plants in Sehwan, and Rs2.993 billion to improve water supply and drainage in Nawabshah.
• A cabinet committee to draw up laws, including a one-window system, to deal with unauthorised regularisation and leases in katchi abadis.
• Allocation of 1,275 acres of state land in Malir district for a Karachi Industrial Park, according to Dawn.

Karachi traffic

Memon said a Traffic Management Authority would be set up, with legislation to follow soon, and a smart traffic management system introduced in Karachi. He warned of “strict, non-discriminatory action” against fancy or illegal number plates, vehicles displaying firearms, underage driving and stunts such as one-wheeling. People displaying weapons in plain clothes would be arrested along with the armed guard and the vehicle’s owner, he said. He also promised to clear encroachments from roads while saying the government did not want to hurt anyone’s livelihood, and that more than 100 electric buses would arrive in Sindh by the end of November.

MQM-P and Sharea Faisal

Asked about a rally the MQM-P has proposed, Memon said parties may hold public meetings only with official permission, and that none would be given for Sharea Faisal “under any circumstances”. The MQM-P “will not be allowed to repeat incidents like May 12”, he said. He also questioned the electoral standing of MQM-P leaders Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. These are the provincial government’s statements; the MQM-P’s reply is not in the reports we drew on. The party is also dealing with a notice from the Election Commission over its internal polls; see our report on the ECP’s show-cause notice to MQM-P.

Why it matters

For households, the wheat decision is the part that touches the kitchen: if mills pass on the cut, flour should cost noticeably less. The government has directed mills to do so, and the actual fall will depend on whether they comply. The Karachi traffic plan is a promise until the law is passed. What to watch is the flour price in the markets over the coming week, the text of the traffic bill, and whether the MQM-P and the government find a way to avoid a clash over the rally.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn and The Express Tribune.