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Pakistan hit by flour shortages South Asia hit by food shortages
(about 2 hours later)
People in Pakistan are struggling to cope with a sudden severe shortage of affordable flour. People across South Asia are struggling to cope with a sudden severe shortage of affordable wheat and rice.
There have been queues at state-run shops in towns and cities around the country in recent days. Prices in private shops have shot up. There have been queues outside Pakistani shops in towns around the country, and flour prices have shot up.
Wheat flour is a staple foodstuff in Pakistan, where rotis or unleavened bread are eaten with almost every meal.Wheat flour is a staple foodstuff in Pakistan, where rotis or unleavened bread are eaten with almost every meal.
Pakistan's government says it has no lack of wheat supplies and blames distribution problems and hoarders. Last week Afghanistan appealed for foreign help to combat a wheat shortage while Bangladesh recently warned it faced a crisis over rice supplies.
The flour shortage in the shops comes at a time when global wheat prices are at record highs. Global wheat prices are at record highs. Problems have been compounded by crop failures in the northern hemisphere and an increase in demand from developing countries.
Problems have been compounded by crop failures in the northern hemisphere and an increase in demand from developing countries. Afghan Commerce Minister Mohammad Amin Farhang said wheat shortages could lead to serious problems during the winter.
'Angry' His call came amid rising discontent inside Afghanistan at the spiralling cost of wheat and other basic foods.
Flour ran short in Pakistan when many areas saw rioting after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in December. The price of rice in many parts of South Asia is rising fast
Officials say people began hoarding wheat flour then. They have also blamed the crisis on smugglers. Afghanistan does not grow enough wheat to feed all its people and is partially dependent on imports.
"It's not fair," one retired worker, Younis, told Reuters news agency. On Thursday, the chief of the Bangladesh army, Gen Moeen U Ahmed, said that he was "very concerned" about the problem of rice supplies which he said must be redressed immediately.
He said he had waited for hours outside a government store in the southern city of Karachi, hoping to buy flour - but to no avail. Many people in the country have been hit hard by spiralling food prices, which in some cases have doubled over the last year, mostly because of damage caused by heavy monsoon rain.
"We are very angry. He [the shopkeeper] is giving only to his relatives," Younis said. A delegation from Bangladesh is now in India to discuss importing rice to offset the shortages.
Dozens of others went empty-handed, Reuters reported. Increase in demand
Pakistan's government says it has no lack of wheat supplies and blames distribution problems and hoarders, as well as smuggling by suppliers.
Officials say the price is fixed in consultation with representatives of flour mill owners.
The BBC 's M Ilyas Khan in Karachi says that the Pakistani government buys wheat in bulk at the time of harvesting, and then releases stocks to flour mills according to a pre-determined quota.
It now says it has increased the quota allocated to the mills, warning them of penalties if they are found selling flour at prices higher than fixed by the government.
Rice in Bangladesh is having to be imported (Photo: Daily Star)
Pakistanis consume an estimated 22m tonnes of wheat annually, and last season's yield was more than 23m tonnes.
Officials accuse suppliers in Punjab, the breadbasket of Pakistan, of smuggling wheat intended for domestic use to Afghanistan and Central Asia to take advantage of price differences.
Flour ran short in Pakistan when many areas saw rioting after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in late December.
With the security situation in Pakistan now calmer, correspondents say it is not clear why apparent problems in distributing flour are persisting.With the security situation in Pakistan now calmer, correspondents say it is not clear why apparent problems in distributing flour are persisting.
Pakistanis have also been angered by repeated electricity blackouts because of a worsening shortage of power. One reason cited is frequent power cuts which have led to flour mills stopping work.
This has been blamed on low water levels in hydro-electric dams and damage to power lines during the post-Bhutto assassination riots. "It's not fair," one retired worker, Younis, told Reuters news agency. "We are very angry."
The power cuts have also led to flour mills stopping work. He said he had waited for hours outside a government store in the southern city of Karachi, hoping to buy flour - but to no avail. Dozens of others went empty-handed, Reuters reported.
Initially, flour shortages pushed up the price on the open market in Pakistan to as much as 60 rupees (about $1) per kilogram in some areas. The average day labourer earns only 100 rupees a day.
The state-run Utility Stores Corporation has been selling flour at 18 rupees per kilogram, but it does not have enough outlets to serve the population of 160 million.