Soaring food inflation hits Pakistan, citizens furious at government

New Delhi: Pakistan, which appears to be stuck in a phase of economic stagnation, is facing severe food crisis owing to soaring prices, caused by the widening gap between demand and supply of essential commodities, according to a new report.

Wheat, which is the primary source of food and nutrition for most of the population, has witnessed a price appreciation of 30–50 per cent in just a month, according to the report in Directus.gr.

“This has aggravated the sufferings of common people in Pakistan, who were already impacted by higher living costs and the country’s economic instability. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased saw increase of 5.6 per cent on a year-on-year basis in September 2025,” the report mentioned.

The soaring food inflation has impacted nutritional diversity, meat consumption and cutting consumption of expensive items like tomatoes.

People have expressed anger over the government’s failure to contain food inflation, that has made their livelihood difficult.

Experts forecast the overall inflation figures to exceed the projection of the Islamabad government and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

Notably, Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb had asserted that the government was committed to price stability.

However, people claimed the government measures were just symbolic, thus failing to prevent overcharging, the report noted.

Islamabad government has also blamed the floods for lower farm output and skyrocketing prices of food commodities. The food inflation was expected to remain high due to the floods and the disruption of the supply chain, according to experts.

Pakistan’s economy has been hit by catastrophic floods, weighing on agricultural output, and inflation pressures have resurfaced. The World Bank forecasts a mere 2.6 per cent GDP growth for Pakistan in 2025-26.

IANS