Moong pulse price hits all-time high.

KARACHI -- The price of moong pulse has hit an all-time record of Rs220-260 per kg in retail markets from Rs180-200 per kg in the last few days, while flour prices in Sindh have failed to show any signs of easing despite start of releasing of wheat stocks by Passco to the province on the direction of the federal government.

A wholesaler in Dandia Bazaar said moong price hovered between Rs210-225 per kg as compared to Rs170-185 per kg last month. He, however, said that the pulse hit an all-time high of Rs7,500 per 40 kg from Rs6,800 in Punjab.

"Traders in Punjab have resorted to hoarding as a result moong daal is not easily available," he added.

Meanwhile, flour price in Sindh stayed on the higher side despite provincial food minister Hari Ram Kishori Lal's assurance on Dec 13 that price would reach Rs43 per kg within a week.

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Lal hinted at drop in wheat flour price by Rs3 per kg to Rs43 within a week following signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Sindh Food Department with the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) for the procurement of 300,000 tonnes of wheat.

The provincial food department had earlier received 100,000 tonnes wheat from Passco which was being supplied to flour mills. Sindh had 800,000 tonnes of wheat stocks in its godowns which were sufficient for its needs and could last till the harvest of next crop; that's why the government did not procure wheat last year from growers, the minister claimed.

The wheat being procured from Passco was supplied to flour mills at subsidised rate with 50 per cent cost shared by federal and provincial governments, but they were not passing on the benefit to consumers, Lal further said.

Chairman Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), Sindh Zone, Khalid Masood attributed the delay in price cut to delay in transportation of wheat and improper planning of the food department. 'Some 75 operating flour mills in Karachi have received only 22,500 tonnes of wheat from the department between Dec 1-24 as against an...