The Sindh government has directed the flour mills to lift about 0.1 million tonnes wheat stock from Passco godowns in Southern Punjab to put breaks on the rising prices of flour and wheat in the domestic market, sources told Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
According to the sources, the first consignment of 26,000 tonnes imported wheat, which reached here on November 28, has been offloaded in Karachi three days ago ie for distribution in Sindh.
The Minfal had allotted this stock of 0.1 million tonnes to the Sindh government three months ago, but the high demand for wheat these days, the Sindh government has now given permission to the flour mills to lift the stock. The total wheat import will be 1 million to 1.5 million tonnes and all imported wheat stock will arrive by February 2008 end.
"This month about 0.256 million tonnes of wheat will arrive the Karachi Port, while the contracts to import another 0.772 million tonnes have already been signed", said the sources.
Sources said on Wednesday the wheat price in the local market will decline from Rs 1,700 to Rs 1,600 for 100-kg due to increase in supply with the arrival of import consignments. A flour miller, requesting anonymity, told Business Recorder that in Punjab, the shortage of wheat has increased despite allotting more wheat quota to the flour mills.
"It''s true that the wheat quota has been increased, but it is not according to the demand for flour in the domestic market. We are getting 17,000 tonnes, but the requirement is 25,000 tonnes per day", the flour miller said. He sqaid in December, the demand for wheat increases to 22 percent as compared to the other months.
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