LAHORE: The Punjab Food Safety and Consumer Protection Department said on Friday that flour supplies across the province remained uninterrupted while emergency measures had been launched to increase tomato availability and stabilise prices following recent supply disruptions. According to the department’s spokesperson, a total of 786, 404 bags of 10kg flour were supplied to markets across Punjab during the previous day, ensuring there was no shortage of the staple commodity. The spokesperson said flour mills supplied 114, 079 bags of 10kg flour milled from government wheat at the official price of Rs 1, 100 per bag. In addition, mills processed privately procured wheat and supplied 364, 655 bags of 10kg flour and 153, 835 bags of 20kg flour across all districts of the province. The combined market availability was equivalent to 786, 404 bags of 10kg flour. The spokesperson said the Punjab government was continuously monitoring the flour supply situation to ensure uninterrupted availability of quality flour. Flour mills across the province were operating normally, while all necessary measures were being taken to maintain a smooth supply chain. The department also released the latest wholesale market prices of key vegetables and fruits. Potatoes were being sold at Rs35 per kg, onions at Rs92 per kg, local garlic at Rs135 per kg, Chinese ginger at Rs105 per kg, okra at Rs180 per kg, cauliflower at Rs120 per kg, bitter gourd at Rs100 per kg, and cucumber at Rs180 per kg. In wholesale markets, bananas were selling at Rs210 per dozen, apples at Rs210 per kg and mangoes at Rs300 per kg. During the past 10 days, prices of cucumber had declined by Rs10 per kg, lemons by Rs20 per kg, and Iranian dates by Rs5 per kg, reflecting improved availability of these commodities. The spokesperson said the department had initiated emergency measures to address the recent increase in tomato prices by enhancing supplies and maintaining market stability. According to the department, Punjab’s local tomato crop is generally available during April, May and June, while supplies from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa start reaching markets in June. At present, the Punjab crop has been exhausted and around 70 to 80 percent of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crop has also reached the end of its season. Currently, around 75 to 80 percent of tomatoes arriving in Lahore markets are being supplied from Balochistan, while imports from Iran are also contributing to market availability and price stability. The spokesperson said the recent increase in tomato prices was primarily the result of seasonal and supply-side factors. Following the depletion of local crops in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the market is now largely dependent on supplies from Balochistan and imported tomatoes from Iran. Production in Balochistan has also been adversely affected by hailstorms followed by viral disease attacks, significantly reducing output. The resulting gap between demand and supply has pushed prices upward, while security concerns along import routes have also slowed the arrival of tomato consignments from Iran. To improve supplies, the Punjab government has directed all Market Committee Secretaries and Executive District Administrators (EADAs) to immediately hold meetings with commission agents and wholesalers. Separate meetings with importers and commission agents have also resulted in several Punjab-based traders initiating tomato imports from Iran. The spokesperson expressed confidence that additional consignments from Iran would arrive over the coming days, improving market supplies, stabilising prices and gradually bringing them down. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
Punjab ensures uninterrupted wheat flour supply
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