The Punjab Food Department and the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA-Punjab) have held a series of talks to ensure that the flour is being supplied at a rate fixed by the government. During the meeting, held on Wednesday, both sides reviewed the availability of flour in the province at the government's fixed prices.
Sources told Business Recorder that both sides agreed to hold a new round of talks on August 2 and continue supplying flour bags from millers at the current rate of Rs 365 as ex-mill rate of 20 kilogrammes flour bag.
On the demand of the association that either give them wheat from the government stockpiles or spell out fresh flour bag prices in line with those of wheat in the open market, the meeting unanimously decided to discuss on August 2 to dispatch wheat to the millers from the government stockpiles and the price of the flour bag. In return the millers assured the government to continue supplying their dealers in this period.
Punjab Food Minister, Malik Nadim Kamran, led the government team in the negotiations also drawing Food Secretary Rao Iftikhar Ahmad, Director Waseem Mukhtar, Millers' Chairman Habib ur Rehman Leghari and millers from other cities in the province.
Meanwhile, Chairman, Pakistan FlourMills Association (PFMA-Punjab), Habib-ur Rehman Leghari said they had offered their demands to the Food Department to issue wheat to the mills from its stockpiles to maintain the current prices. He said they had demanded that the department to start sending 8,000 tonnes of wheat to the mills daily to resolve the flour shortage crisis.