Punjab Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has convened an emergency meeting in Lahore on Saturday to work out strategy to cope with the situation arising out of delay in issue of wheat quota from the provincial food department to mills.
PFMA chairman Ibrahim will chair the meeting. He told Business Recorder on phone from Lahore on Friday that delay in issue of quota of wheat to the mills was creating alarming situation for the mills, and Saturday's meeting would review the situation and come up with a strategy to deal with the issue.
He added that delay in issue of quota was a major reason of increase in flour prices in some parts of the province. He cautioned that continuation of the policy of not issuing wheat quota this time would further push up the prices and subsequently hit the consumers below the belt in the coming days.
The PFMA chairman said that he had raised the issue with Punjab Chief Minister and apprised him that the provincial food department's policy of not releasing wheat quota to the mills was providing a golden opportunity to the private sector to increase prices of their stocks of wheat and get undue profit.
Ibrahim said that private sector was raising the price of wheat for sale to mills almost on day-to-day basis and the mills had no option but to pass on it to the consumers.
The flour price is on the rise across the country. A bag of 20 kg atta is now available for Rs 266 in most parts of the country against Rs 255 of the last week. The PFMA is of the view that only release of wheat can help the mills maintain the flour price at the current level.
PFMA chairman demanded of the Chief Minister that he should immediate look into the matter and seek explanation from the provincial food department for delaying issue of wheat quota to the mills.
He added that PFMA has repeatedly brought the fact to the notice of the officials that wheat in open market had gone almost dry and the prices of both wheat and atta have abnormally increased. Presently, the price of wheat in the open market is ranging between Rs 450 and Rs 470 per 40 kg without bag and if wheat was not issued to the mills immediately, the food situation will aggravate to hit hard the consumers.