Dialogues between the flour millers and the Punjab food secretary remained inconclusive on Monday to convince the millers to call off their strike after which the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) announced to continue its strike till acceptance of their demands.
The mills are on strike from to press the government for resolving the issue of raids by the district administration and the provincial food department on wheat stocks of the mills.
PFMA (Punjab) chairman Abdur Rauf Mukhtar said they had a two and half hours long parleys with Punjab Food Secretary Waqas Mahmood in which a three-point agenda was discussed.
He said both the sides agreed on two: no interference of districts administrations in operations of the flour mills and allowing free movement of wheat within the province. He said it was also agreed that flour mills can buy wheat from any part of the province freely.
However, the issue of fixation of new price of wheat flour bags was not accepted by the provincial secretary, saying that the current prices should continue till the end of Ramzan and new prices should be fixed after Eid.
The government side asked the millers to continue selling 20 kilograms flour bag at Rs 805 while the millers were of the view they cannot sell flour at this price as wheat price in the open market had reached Rs 1600 per maund.
The secretary also told the PFMA representatives that he has to take approval from the high-ups about the above-mentioned two points. He said he will send a summary to the chief minister for approval and then get back to them. Upon this, the PFMA leadership announced to continue their strike till acceptance of their demands.
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