Flour crisis deepens in Zhob as 50kg bag sells for Rs7,400

ZHOB: The flour crisis in Balochistan has worsened, and poor people are struggling to afford two meals a day. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is being observed today, 17 October, but poverty, inflation and food shortages have made life miserable for ordinary citizens.

According to reports, a 50kg bag of flour is selling for Rs7,400. This is beyond the purchasing power of an ordinary labourer, cart-puller or daily wager. A labourer who works all day and barely earns Rs500 asks how he can provide flour and other basic necessities for his family.

Meanwhile, there are complaints of a shortage caused by a ban on the supply of flour from Punjab to Balochistan, which has added to the people’s hardships.

Public and social circles in Zhob have demanded that the Balochistan government and the authorities concerned take immediate notice of the flour crisis, control inflation and take effective steps to provide cheap flour to poor people at official rates, so that no family is deprived of a basic need like bread.