The Central President of the Naanbai Association, Shafiq Qureshi, and the Central Leader, Rafiq Ahmed Khan, told the news channel that the price of a sack of red flour has gone from Rs5,500 to Rs7,000 in the last five and a half months, while the price of a sack of white flour has gone from Rs6,500 to Rs9,500, and prices are still going up every day.
They said that the price of red flour roti (pateeri) will go up from Rs12 to Rs20, the price of simple naan will go up from Rs20 to Rs30, the price of seed-blended naan will go up from Rs25 to Rs35, and the price of paratha and rogani naan will go up from Rs40 to Rs50. The Naanbais sent the request to the district administration to get a notice that the new prices are going into effect.
They said that the price of electricity for commercial users, like tandoors, has gone up by 150% in less than six months, and the price of natural gas for commercial users has gone up by 100%. The Naanbais said that the price of a commercial gas cylinder has gone up from Rs12,500 to Rs17,000. The rent for the oven has also gone up, and the pay of the people who make naan and roti has gone up by Rs 500.
They also said that prices for raw materials like ghee, oil from sesame seeds, and milk powder have gone up by up to 90%. The new prices have been approved by the Naanbai Association, the two leaders said, and the new prices will go into effect on Friday. They said that the Naanbai association had asked the Rawalpindi district administration to let people know about the new prices.
They said that the general body of the Nanbai association had decided that if Naanbais were sued or fined over the new price, Naanbais in the Twin Cities would shut down and hold a sit-in in Katchehry Chowk. They said that six months ago, tandoors could buy a bag of 20 kg of flour for Rs980 to Rs1,000, but now the same bag costs Rs2,200. They said that they had to raise the prices of roti and naan because they had no other choice.
In response to a question, the president of the Naanbai Association said that the price increase for roti and naan was based on the current prices of flour. “If the government raises the price of flour again in the future, we will have to raise the prices of roti and naan again,” he said. The price of roti and naan has gone up for the third time in the last five and a half months. The current government has done very little to stop inflation and the skyrocketing prices of essential goods.
Zulqarnain Ali, who works on construction sites, said, “We used to make curry on our own and buy roti from the tandoor. But now, people with low incomes will have a hard time buying roti for Rs. 30. “We’re being told that langar khanas are a good way to satisfy our hunger,” he said.
