The All Pakistan Flour Millis Association (APFM) has demanded delay in the export of wheat till September for controlling flour prices and for maintaining balance between supply and demand.
Addressing a press conference at Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) here on Wednesday, Chairman APFM, Sheikh Muhammad Shabbir said that government should impose immediate but temporary ban on wheat export to ensure sufficient wheat supply throughout the country.
He said that wheat yield in the country reached 23 million tonnes against the projected productions of 22.5 million tonnes, adding that the government had already fixed targets of wheat purchase in all the four provinces.
He said that Punjab food department has been instructed to purchase 3 million tonnes wheat where as target of purchasing 0.7 million has been fixed for Sindh, 0.1 million for NWFP, 50,000 for Balochistan and 1.3 million tonnes for Pasco.
Shabbir said that by putting temporary ban on wheat export would help the government to achieve its set targets of purchase and would also stabilise the flour prices in the market. He said if the country exports wheat today, it would have to import the same by the end of this year. President RCCI, Hassan Saroosh Akram also spoke on the occasion and expressed the hope for people-friendly decision by the government.