The Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin has said that arrival of fresh wheat crop has been delayed in the Punjab because of rainy/cloudy season while Sindh government has imposed a ban on the movement of wheat flow towards Punjab. Therefore, wheat in the open market is not available.
The gap is being filled through releases from the Government stocks at the cost of depletion of carry forward stocks in the interest of the consumers and the Food Department is ensuring strict monitoring of release of wheat to flour mills. Giving details, the Minister here on Wednesday during a review meeting at Food Directorate, said it has been informed that releases of wheat to flour mills was started earlier during current scheme year on 05-09-2013, as compared to 08-10-2012, still releases during current year are on lesser side, ie 3,894,675 MT against the last year release of 4,009,507 MT to flour mills.
The supply, rate and quality of flour were ensured through monitoring teams and grinding of wheat by the flour mills through electricity bills. Fines of Rs 16,944,250 were imposed to the defaulter flour mills, beside suspension of wheat quota. Resultantly, abundant availability of quality flour within the government fixed price of Rs 785/20 kg has been ensured throughout the year, despite enormous outflow of wheat flour to other provinces because flour prices in other provinces were on higher side.
However, no restriction on the outflow of wheat and wheat flour was imposed in the interest of the consumers of whole the country. The Minister stressed that Food Department has ensured abundant supply of quality flour at the ex-mill price of Rs 765/20 kg in the Sasta Bazars, established three days a week in all the districts under the directions of the Chief Minister, Punjab.
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