The government here on Saturday imposed a total ban on export of wheat with immediate effect and until further order, except the export of the commodity on government-to-government level, to overcome the current wheat shortage in the country.
"The Directors General Rangers of Punjab and Sindh and Inspector Generals of Frontier Constabulary NWFP and Balochistan will monitor the release of wheat from government godowns to flour mills, Lieutenant General Farooq Ahmed (Retd), Chairman Federal Food Committee (FFC) and head of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) told a crowded press conference here at Prime Minister Secretariat. They will also monitor flour distribution to the consumers in the market on daily basis and send their reports to FFC, he added.
General Farooq Ahmed (Retd) said that under the directives of President Pervez Musharraf, a Federal Food Committee (FFC) has been constituted which will work directly under the Prime Minister to ensure availability of essential food items in the market, in close co-ordination with the provincial governments.
The chairman FFC said that all agencies involved in the chain of harvesting, production, maintaining of stocks and supplying essential food items including communication, Minfal, interior, information, law enforcement agencies (LEAs), petroleum and natural resources, water and power shall function through chairman FFC for this purpose and shall form part of this committee. He warned that strict action will be taken against those who are involved in any malpractice, including hoarding. He said that while taking serious note of the non-availability and high price of wheat flour and the resultant hardships being faced by the general public, President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday directed the federal government to immediately establish a Federal Food Committee (FFC) under the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Lieutenant General Farooq Ahmad Khan (Retd) said that this committee will be responsible for ensuring market availability of food items including wheat flour and will also co-ordinate with all the concerned federal, provincial governments and the private sector agencies, who are involved in procurement, storage, transportation and distribution of such items. The FFC, which would be given requisite support by law enforcement agencies, will constantly monitor demand-supply gap and prices to avert present like situation. The committee will be equipped with adequate administrative powers, including confiscation of stocks and imposition of penalties, to check hoarding and smuggling of food items, General Farooq (Retd) remarked.
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