Flour is turning into a luxury item for Lahore’s households. The price of a 20-kilogram flour bag in the city shot up by Rs. 833 in a single week to Rs. 3,133, according to the latest Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data, a spike that is squeezing family budgets in Pakistan’s second-largest city.
Larkana recorded a weekly increase of Rs. 100, taking the price of a 20kg flour bag there to Rs. 3,300. Karachi remains the country’s most expensive city for flour, with a 20kg bag selling for Rs. 3,540. The national average price of a 20kg flour bag rose by Rs. 29 during the week to Rs. 2,976.
The national picture is mixed, though: while Lahore climbed steeply, flour prices actually declined in several other cities during the same week.
Islamabad recorded a weekly decrease of Rs. 40, bringing the price of a 20kg flour bag to Rs. 3,333. In Hyderabad, the price fell by Rs. 80 to Rs. 3,400, while Sukkur saw a similar decline to Rs. 3,120. Bahawalpur recorded a drop of Rs. 53 to Rs. 2,946, and Sargodha posted the largest decline among the listed cities, falling Rs. 133 to Rs. 2,800.
Prices stayed flat in several cities. A 20kg flour bag continued to sell for Rs. 3,333 in Rawalpindi and Rs. 3,000 in both Gujranwala and Faisalabad, while prices also held steady at Rs. 3,133 in Sialkot, Rs. 2,933 in Multan and Rs. 3,300 in Peshawar.
Flour sits at the centre of the Pakistani diet, with roti, naan and paratha all starting from it, so its price is one of the most politically sensitive numbers in the economy. Lahore’s jump stands out sharply against the calmer national trend. For now, the uneven pattern means where you buy your flour matters more than usual, and in Lahore it matters a lot, as households watch the coming PBS readings to see whether this is a local blip or the start of a broader climb.
