The import of wheat rose substantially in the July-September quarter of this year, mainly because of decline in world prices.
Imported wheat, which is slightly low in quality, is available at Rs3,200 per 100kg in the open market while the locally produced wheat is selling for Rs3,400.
Quality of wheat is checked through its specification, moisture level and gluten.
Millers are producing flour varieties by blending both imported and local wheat.
Pakistan started importing wheat from August 2014 with 44,832 tonnes costing Rs1.302 billion.
In September, the imports jumped to 230,000 tonnes whose bill stood at Rs6.329bn.
It means that per 100kg bag price in September came down to Rs2,751 compared to Rs2,900 in August.
According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), total import bill of wheat in July-September quarter of this year rose to Rs7.631bn from imports of 274,832 tonnes compared to Rs4.29bn from 138,751 tonnes a year earlier.
