Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has convened its executive committee meeting here on August 4, (Monday) to discuss the matters relating to the growing wheat shortage and closure of flourmills in north-west Frontier Province (NWFP).
The government of Punjab has banned the supply of wheat to the flourmills of the NWFP since last eight months triggering protest and anger among the people in general and business community in particular in the province.
According to the local chapter of the Pakistan Flourmills Association, the restriction clamped by the government of Punjab has forced the closure of 250 flourmills in the province.
NWFP, tribal area and Afghan refugees residing in different parts of the province require 3.4 million metric ton wheat, but it produced only 1 million metric ton of the commodity. The deficiency is filled through purchase of wheat from the open market of Punjab and PASSCO. The flourmillers had launched vigorous movement against the ban, which it said is unconstitutional, as the constitution does not allow the inter-provincial trade of the food items in the country.
The millers in connection with their protest movement had staged two-day protest camp in front of Peshawar Press Club (PPC). The camp was attended by flour millers from all districts of the province while provincial ministers and parliamentarians visited the camp and expressed their solidarity and extended full support to their struggle.
The flour mills association of the province had also taken up the matter with federal government through Finance Minister Naveed Qamar, who assured the intervention of the centre, but it also remained fruitless as the ban is continue.
The persistent restrictions on the movement of wheat from Punjab to NWFP have threatened the wastage of an investment of Rs 5.20 billion in the sector, besides endangering the employment of 165,000 labourers in the province.
The scheduled meeting would be presided over by the central chairman, Mohammad Naeem Butt, while vice chairman NWFP, Mohammad Sadiq, Habib Leghari, Mohammad Iqbal Pakwala and Abdul Wahid Warrich members from Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan would also attend.
The central leader of the Businessmen Forum Pakistan , Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, president, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Haji Mohammad Asaf and former chairman PFMA are attending the meeting on special invitations.
The meeting would be followed by a press briefing by central chairman, Mohammad Naeem Butt and vice chairmen from all four provinces at Peshawar Press Club (PPC). Meanwhile, general secretary traders association, Sharafat Ali Mubarak, prominent leaders of the trading community Shaukat Ali Khan and Javed Akhtar have harshly reacted to the refusal of relief to the people in wake of declining of oil prices in the international market.
In a joint statement, they said that instead of giving relief to the people and adjustment of the cut in the subsidy is violation of the manifesto of PPP. They attributed the growing price hike to the growing prices of the petroleum products, but lamented that the government is not ready to extend any relief the people.
The leaders of the trading community said that four increases had been announced in the price of the petroleum products since the establishment of the present government, but it flatly refused when it come to extending relief to the people. They demanded immediate cut in the price of the petroleum products to give relief to the people and help arrest the growing price hike in the country.