Punjab Approves Rs 10 Billion Flour Subsidy, Government Wheat to Mills at Rs 3,800

Short answer: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved a Rs 10 billion subsidy on Saturday 10 October 2026 to hold down flour prices, according to reports of an emergency meeting she chaired by video link. Her government will sell more of its own wheat to flour mills, at Rs 3,800 a maund (40 kg). The official rate for a 10 kg bag made from government wheat is Rs 1,100, the Punjab Food Department said two days earlier.

The move comes after the worst weekly flour rise of the year. We read the Food Department's own statement, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics price tables and the Lahore price control notice to see what the subsidy means at the shop.

Punjab approved Rs 10 billion to keep flour affordable

The Punjab government will spend Rs 10 billion so that flour mills get cheaper government wheat and sell cheaper flour. The approval was reported on 10 October 2026, after the chief minister called an emergency meeting over rising wheat and flour prices.

Three decisions came out of that meeting, as reported:

• A subsidy of Rs 10 billion for affordable flour.
• A bigger quota of government wheat for flour mills.
• A wheat release rate of Rs 3,800 per 40 kg for those mills.

The chief minister also said subsidised flour must reach people "at all costs". She called the market rise artificial, according to the same reports.

We could not find a written notification or a government press release on the Rs 10 billion figure by the evening of 10 October. So treat the amount and the Rs 3,800 rate as announced, not yet notified. The Food Department's earlier statement, below, is on the official record.

A 10 kg bag of government flour costs Rs 1,100

The official rate for a 10 kg bag ground from government wheat is Rs 1,100. Punjab's Director General Food, Amjad Hafeez, gave that figure in a statement on 8 October 2026, issued through the provincial information department.

He said that on 7 October alone, mills across Punjab supplied these bags:

The total only adds up if each 20 kg bag counts as two 10 kg bags. That is our arithmetic, not his. It also shows that about 48 per cent of the flour that day came from government wheat at the fixed price.

He also said there was no shortage and that action was being taken against hoarding and profiteering. Two days later the chief minister called the emergency meeting, so supply alone was clearly not keeping prices down.

Flour rose fastest in north Punjab, while Lahore stayed near Rs 2,200

Lahore and Faisalabad kept a 20 kg bag at about Rs 2,200 in the week to 8 October 2026. Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur and Sialkot paid far more. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) checks these prices every week.

The national average was Rs 2,851, up 5.69 per cent in a week. The full city list is in our report on the flour price in Pakistan this week.

Two government 10 kg bags cost Rs 2,200. That is why Lahore and Faisalabad sit at that level. Where government flour is scarce in shops, the price climbs towards the private rate.

Wheat on the open market costs far more than Rs 3,800

Wheat sold for an average of about Rs 5,437 a maund across 17 cities in the week to 8 October 2026, PBS data shows. The government rate for mills is Rs 3,800. The gap of about Rs 1,637 a maund is what the subsidy pays for.

That gap explains the whole problem. A mill buying private wheat at Rs 5,437 cannot sell flour at the Rs 1,100 rate. So the official price only holds where mills get enough government wheat. A bigger quota is meant to fix that.

The open market price story, city by city, is in our report on the wheat price jump to Rs 5,437 a maund. The federal price committee also asked provinces to check flour prices on 8 October, as covered in our report on the price committee's checks on flour, LPG and fares.

What you can do if a shop charges more

Ask for the government 10 kg bag by name and check the printed price. If a shop charges more than Rs 1,100 for it, report the shop. Lahore's price control notice gives two channels for complaints.

1. Note the shop name, address, date and the price you were asked to pay.
2. Keep the receipt or a photo of the bag and price, if you can.
3. Call the toll free number 0800-02345.
4. Or file the complaint on the Qeemat Punjab app.
5. Keep the complaint number and follow up if nothing happens in a few days.

Shops must display a price list under the Punjab price control law, and selling above a fixed price is an offence. The full process, with fines and appeals, is set out in our walkthrough on how to report overcharging in Punjab.

What happens next

Watch for three things over the next few days. First, a written order setting the bigger wheat quota. Second, whether more government flour bags reach shops in Rawalpindi, Sialkot and Bahawalpur. Third, the next PBS weekly report, due around 16 October 2026, which will show if prices fell.

The federal government has still not announced a wheat support price for the 2026-27 crop. Farmers sowing now are watching that number closely, and it is tracked in our report on the wheat support price.

Common questions

How much is the Punjab government flour bag?

A 10 kg bag made from government wheat costs Rs 1,100, the Punjab Food Department said on 8 October 2026. Flour made from private wheat is not sold at this rate.

Is the Rs 10 billion flour subsidy official?

It was reported on 10 October 2026 as a decision of the chief minister's emergency meeting. We did not find a written notification that evening, so treat it as announced.

What is the government wheat rate for flour mills?

Reports say Punjab will supply its wheat to mills at Rs 3,800 per 40 kg. The open market average was about Rs 5,437 a maund in the week to 8 October.

Where do I complain about flour overcharging in Punjab?

Call the toll free number 0800-02345 or use the Qeemat Punjab app. Both are listed on the Lahore deputy commissioner's price notice.

Will flour prices fall now?

Nobody can promise that. Prices should ease where more government flour reaches shops. The PBS weekly report around 16 October 2026 will be the first real test.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 10 October 2026 at about 19:30 PKT. We read the Punjab Food Department statement of 8 October 2026 on the Punjab Directorate General Public Relations website, the PBS weekly price tables for the week ended 8 October 2026, and the Lahore deputy commissioner's price control notification of 3 August 2026 on the Lahore district website. The Rs 10 billion subsidy and the Rs 3,800 rate are reported and were not yet on a government website when we checked.