Wheat to mills on weekly basis: Jatoi

Sindh Food Minister Arif Mustafa Jatoi has said that wheat will be released, to flour mills on weekly basis to prevent hoarding and sale of wheat.
But, according to him, the challans for 2 weeks will be issued to facilitate those flour mills and Chakkies only who are facing difficulty in depositing payments at the State Bank of Pakistan on weekly basis.
The provincial food minister was presiding over a meeting held to review the issue of release of wheat to flour mills and to iron out procedural difficulties being faced by the millers and chakki owners.
President Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Haji Munir Ahmed, Vice Chairman Naeem Ahmed Malik and other representatives of flour industry, besides Secretary Food Department Ghulam Abid Shaikh, Director Food Dr Tanveer Ahmed Qureshi, Senior Accounts officer Afzal Ahmed and Deputy Director Food Karachi Inayat Ali Khatian attended the meeting.
The minister said, the Food Department would release wheat only to those flour mills which are completely functional and entitled to quota. He made it clear that licenses of non-functional mills would be cancelled and only licensed mills operating on KESC and HESCO power would be considered as functional.
President PFMA assured the minister of their full co-operation in stabilising the prices of atta in the market. He said the flour mills are ready to install fair price stalls at prominent spots of the city like the past.
The Provincial Food Minister Arif Mustafa Jatoi appreciated the co-operation offered and emphasised that we should work together in the interest of general public. He urged the officials of Sindh Food Department to make the wheat release process to flour mills transparent and fair.
He stated that tendering process for the import of 500,000 tons wheat has been completed by Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) while tendering for the 2nd trench of 500,000 tons would take place on 22nd August, 2004.
The flour millers appreciated the role of TCP and said they would have no problem with grinding of any imported wheat and rumours being spread by the vested interests in this regard were baseless.