Entertainment
After sugar price shock, flour soars as wheat costs spike
- Market deregulation sparks surge in wheat prices.
- Wheat climbs to Rs3,100, flour bags costlier.
- Wheat jumps Rs1,000, flour bags up Rs500.
LAHORE: Wheat and flour prices have surged sharply, with wheat climbing by Rs300 this week to Rs3,100 per maund (40kg).
The hike follows a month-long upward trend, during which wheat gained nearly Rs1,000 per 40kg and the price of a 20kg flour bag rose by about Rs500.
This recent hike is part of a broader trend, as both wheat and flour prices have been steadily increasing. The steep increases have raised alarm over market manipulation and the absence of effective government oversight.
Critics claim that the provincial government’s abrupt decision to cease regulating the wheat market without prior notice has created an environment conducive to price manipulation. This lack of oversight may have empowered wheat hoarders to artificially inflate prices, further exacerbating the situation.
According to Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Chairman Asim Raza, the government has been facing challenges in controlling wheat prices. Raza warned that the ongoing rise in wheat prices is likely to trigger a corresponding increase in flour prices in the near future.
In response to these developments, the association is actively focusing on the issue to better understand the underlying causes and potential implications for the market.
Nevertheless, the emerging situation, according to market insiders, highlights the complex interplay between government policies, market forces, and price dynamics in the wheat and flour sectors.
Progressive Flour Millers Group (PFMG) Chairman Khaliq Arshad cautioned that low wheat reserves in the country could be one of the leading reasons for the rising trend in its prices.
According to him, Punjab has estimated reserves of over 2.5 million tonnes, both in the public and private sector, which are definitely not enough to meet the demand till April 2026.
He was of the view that prices of wheat and flour may continue to climb steadily if authorities failed to take corrective measures. The upward trend of grain prices prompted traders to sell stored wheat in the open market. That is why the wheat price reversed from Rs3,250 per 40 to Rs3,100.
To a question, he stressed the need to adopt a proactive approach by the federal and provincial governments for supplementing wheat stocks with a view to meeting domestic demand before the start of the next harvesting season. Import of wheat may be inevitable given the present and evolving situation, he warned.
PFMG President Majid Abdullah observed that stakeholders are closely monitoring the situation, anticipating potential impacts on the broader food market.
He disclosed that the notification issued by the Punjab government about capping the price of wheat at Rs2,900 per 40kg and flour at Rs1,750 in the retail market is no more being followed in the market. The strong market dynamics have baffled many, and these are dictating demand and supply as well as prices now onwards, he added.
It is a simple matter of demand and supply, he emphasized, adding if the government wants to maintain flour price at certain level, policy needs to be revised according to ground realities.
When contacted, Special Assistant to CM, Price Control & Commodities Management Salma Butt was not available for comment on specific queries regarding the surge in wheat and flour prices that have been on the rise for about a month.
Jada Pinkett Smith is asking a judge to order Will Smith’s former friend, Bilaal Salaam, to cover nearly $49,000 in legal costs after parts of his emotional distress lawsuit against her were dismissed.
According to court documents reviewed by TMZ, Pinkett Smith argued that Salaam should be responsible for the expenses she incurred defending herself.
Salaam had filed a $3 million emotional distress suit last year, claiming he was brought in to help Smith with damage control following the 2022 Oscars slap incident involving Chris Rock.
Salaam alleged that Pinkett Smith and members of her entourage threatened him after learning he was working on a memoir.
Allegedly, he was even warned that he could “end up missing” or “catch a bullet” if he continued “telling her personal business.”
He also claimed she pressured him to sign a nondisclosure agreement under implied threat.
Pinkett Smith categorically refuted all such claims calling them “false, uncorroborated and made to generate attention as part of an ongoing public campaign of harassment.”
She further argued that Salaam failed to provide evidence for claims that he lost a girlfriend, left the country, or suffered health issues due to distress.
While parts of the lawsuit have been thrown out, the case remains ongoing.
Denise Richards was able to make some lovely memories with Patrick Muldoon before his sudden death from a heart attack last week.
Muldoon and Richards — who dated in the 90s for five years and remained best friends for decades later — play romantic partners in the new action crime thriller film Dirty Hands, out in theatres on Friday, April 24.
“Pat & I were supposed to do press this week for Dirty Hands” Richards wrote on Instagram. “He was so passionate about this movie & worked so hard on it…We did our first movie together & I am so blessed & grateful I did his last movie with him.”
The post was accompanied by an emotional scene between their characters: Muldoon plays Chicago drug runner Patrick Muldoon and Richards plays his girlfriend Sheila, who is torn between her loyalties.
Richards, 55, and Muldoon, who was 57, first starred together in Starship Troopers in 1997, when they were 19 and 21 respectively. They formed a strong bond and dated for five years before deciding to remain friends.
Earlier this week, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star paid tribute to Muldoon on Instagram, admitting she’s “deeply heartbroken and devastated” losing her “best friend” and “family.”
“My whole adult life & I don’t know it without you. The friendship, love, support, respect & loyalty we we had was unconditional and rare,” she wrote. “You’ve had my back and protected me more than anyone. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you here.”
Anne Hathaway has already established that she is a massive Taylor Swift fan, but in one of her latest interviews she looked back at what started it all.
The 43-year-old actress, who enthusiastically attended the pop superstar’s Eras Tour shows, shared that despite always being a fan, Anti-Hero was the one song which turned her into a Swiftie.
“I always really, really liked Taylor, but that was the song where I was like, oh no, wait, she’s taking hold of my brain. And then I got much deeper into her music. And then once you see it, you can’t unsee it. You’re just like, Oh, she’s a genius,” the One Day star noted.
Hathaway continued speaking of Swift’s discography, saying, “All of her eras ‘speak to each other.’ To have a retrospective like that at the age that she is, and to realize that she had a vision that didn’t exist in the world, and she literally made the space that she wanted for herself.”
The Devil Wears Prada actress made a wave with her comments, on social media, as other Swifties agreed with her, while many also expressed their shock at the choice.
“Well yes Anne!!!! I knew you would understand,” one fan wrote on X, while another added, “It’s takes time to understand that Taylor is a genius. And once you figure that out, there is no going back.”
A third chimed in and wrote, “‘and then once you see it, you can’t unsee it’ yep pretty much sums up what being a swiftie is.”
While another said, “omg finally justice for anti-hero, it takes a legend to recognise that.”
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