# Maryam Nawaz approves Rs 10 billion flour subsidy as atta hits Rs 2,851 a 20kg bag

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/economy/maryam-nawaz-approves-rs-10-billion-flour-subsidy-as-atta-hits-rs-2851-a-20kg)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 10 Oct 2026
Updated: 10 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 10 Oct 2026

> Punjab will keep selling wheat to mills at Rs 3,800 a maund and raise their quota after the national average price of a 20kg flour bag jumped 5.7% in a week.

**Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz** has approved a **Rs 10 billion subsidy for cheap flour (atta)** after flour prices rose across the province, [ARY News reported](https://arynews.tv/cm-maryam-nawaz-approves-rs-10-billion-subsidy-for-cheap-flour) on Saturday 10 October. At an emergency video-link meeting she ordered officials to provide cheap flour and wheat to the public "at all costs".

## What was decided

- **Rs 10 billion** for affordable flour across Punjab.
- Wheat will be supplied to flour mills at **Rs 3,800 per maund** (40kg), and the official wheat **quota for mills has been increased**.
- All available government transport will be used to move subsidised flour.
- Cheap flour and roti schemes will continue.

The chief minister voiced concern about **artificial increases** in flour and wheat prices. The report did not give the new bag price, where the subsidised flour will be sold or how long the subsidy will last; we will add those when the Punjab Food Department notifies them.

## Why now: atta up 5.7% in one week

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics' weekly price survey for the week to 8 October put the **national average price of a 20kg flour bag at Rs 2,851**, up from **Rs 2,697 a week earlier** and **Rs 2,150 a year ago**. Flour was the biggest weekly riser among 51 items. Our [SPI report](/news/economy/spi-inflation-hits-1197percent-atta-up-57percent-in-a-week-to-rs-2851-a-bag) has the full list.

That is a long way above the prices Punjab was quoting in summer. In July, a district food controller told [APP](https://www.app.com.pk/?p=1255099) that the province was spending **more than Rs 20 billion** on subsidies, that mills were getting 5,000 tonnes of subsidised wheat a day at Rs 3,800 per 40kg, and that a 20kg bag cost **Rs 2,200** (10kg: Rs 1,100). The open-market wheat price was then about Rs 4,500 per 40kg.

## What it costs a household

A family that uses two 20kg bags a month now pays about **Rs 5,700** at the national average, against Rs 4,400 at Punjab's July price of Rs 2,200 a bag: **Rs 1,300 more every month**. That gap is what the subsidy is meant to close.

## What to do

- Buy from outlets selling at the notified rate, and ask for the government price list.
- Report overcharging through the Punjab government's price-control channels in your district.
- Track the weekly price of flour, chicken and other staples in our [economy section](/news/economy), and see how your monthly budget stretches with the [salary breakdown calculator](/tools/finance/salary-breakdown-calculator).

Earlier this autumn flour millers threatened a Punjab-wide strike over permits and fines; see our [report on the millers' strike call](/news/economy/flour-millers-announce-punjab-wide-strike-over-permits-and-rs-5m-fines).

## Frequently asked questions

**What is the price of a 20kg atta bag in Pakistan this week?**

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics put the national average at Rs 2,851 for the week ended 8 October 2026, up from Rs 2,697 a week earlier.

**How much is Punjab's new flour subsidy?**

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved Rs 10 billion on 10 October 2026, with wheat supplied to mills at Rs 3,800 a maund and a higher mill quota.

## Sources

- CM Maryam Nawaz approves Rs 10 billion subsidy for cheap flour (ARY News): https://arynews.tv/cm-maryam-nawaz-approves-rs-10-billion-subsidy-for-cheap-flour
- Weekly Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended 08-10-2026 (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics): https://www.pbs.gov.pk/weekly-sensitive-price-indicator-spi-for-the-week-ended-on-08-10-2026/
- Punjab providing Rs20 billion subsidy to keep flour, bread affordable: Food Controller (29 July 2026) (APP): https://www.app.com.pk/?p=1255099

How to cite: "Maryam Nawaz approves Rs 10 billion flour subsidy as atta hits Rs 2,851 a 20kg bag", Searchable, 10 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/economy/maryam-nawaz-approves-rs-10-billion-flour-subsidy-as-atta-hits-rs-2851-a-20kg