Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Managing Director Brigadier (retd) Hafeez Ahmed has said that daily release of wheat to the USC has been increased from 3,000 tons to 5,000 tons.
Talking to PTV, he said the present quota of flourmills had been increased from 32,000 tons daily to 38,000 tons. This was sufficient for a population of 120 million, he added.
To resolve flour crisis, the price of 20kilogram bag had been fixed at Rs 295. "We have decided to supply uninterrupted electricity for 19-hour to the flourmills for smooth supply of flour across the country", he said.
The quota for utility stores has been increased and besides 5,000 utility stores in the country, Mobile Utility Stores have been launched to ensure the supply of basic items especially flour to the common man.
The flourmills' quota on daily basis for grinding has been increased. Now, 8,000 tonnes more wheat had been added to flourmills' daily quota, he said.
This quantity was sufficient for a population of 12 million on daily basis, and if this flour was short in supply despite that quota then something might be going very wrong, he added. He said strict monitoring system of flourmills and distribution points had been put in place in co-ordination with all concerned quarters to avoid any pilferage and hoarding.
Some 9,000 bags of Atta (flour) were being supplied to Itwar bazaars in Rawalpindi. Besides, the government has also dispatched 23,000 bags to 46 sales points and 6,250 bags to 125 fair price shops of the district. Flour was being supplied to the people following the posting of Rangers at flourmills, he said.