Who is actually behind wheat flour crisis?

The current crises of wheat and sugar are said to be the outcome of decisions taken by one of the top men in the Food Department Punjab, an ex-PCS official who directly deals with flour mills and sugar mills across Punjab, well-informed sources told Business Recorder.

Prices of both commodities are rising with every passing day due to which the federal government and provincial governments are under severe criticism in the media and general public and senior bureaucrats are spending sleepless nights.

The government recently approved duty free import of 300,000 tons of wheat through private sector by removing Regulatory Duty @ 60 per cent and all taxes on import specifications of wheat, notified in the gazette of Pakistan on November 14, 2008 expected to land in Pakistan mid-February aimed at pouring water on fiery criticism against the government with respect to the wheat crisis.

According to official documents, Passco and Provincial Food Departments have reported wheat stocks at the level of 4.239 million tons as on January 15, 2020 compared to 7.436 million tons in the corresponding period of last year.

Minister for Maritime Affairs, Ali Zaidi, has demanded an inquiry as to why wheat was allowed to be exported in October if there was a looming shortage and why wheat imports have been allowed at present when the new crop is expected in Sindh and Punjab "within the month", before the imported wheat can land on our ports.

One of the reasons for the current wheat crisis, sources said, is appointment of ex-PCS officers in different districts in Punjab; reportedly the going appointment rate is Rs 0.5 million, an amount they recover from the flour mills by allowing them to do whatever they want. This bribe amount is shared with the top brass of Food Department in Lahore who allocate districts, including the lucrative districts, said one of the insiders.

The officials of Food Department also are directly rewarded by the flour mills, which is evident from the fact that these officials also facilitate meetings of flour mills association with the top bureaucracy in the province. There are also unconfirmed reports that the officials of Food Department in Punjab who belong to Ex-PCS hatch conspiracies against the officials of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) to defame them a charge strengthened by the fact that four to five Secretaries of Food in Punjab have been changed out of which one belonged to Provincial Services, who according to media reports was transferred after he began an inquiry on alleged fake export of wheat to Afghanistan. He is now Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan.

A campaign has been launched against the Chaudharies of Gujrat, portraying them as responsible for the current wheat crisis. Some media personnel are also making calls to officials of food department and seeking enticement as part of this campaign.

Sugar prices are also on the rise in Punjab and other provinces and according to media reports on Wednesday retail price of sugar in Quetta crossed Rs 80 per kg. The situation in far flung areas of Punjab is no different from Balochistan.

In Punjab, the same Food official is dealing with sugar mills who deals with flour mills and who is accused of smuggling wheat to KP and onward to Afghanistan and Central Asia.