Flourmills has announced to go on shutdown strike on Friday if the government not lift inter-district ban on the movement of wheat. Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Wednesday Mian Mehmood Hassan chairman Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) said that the government of Sindh on April 10, 2011 suddenly imposed inter-district ban on movement of wheat, for this reason supply of commodity has completely suspended to the Karachi based flour mills.
He said that before the decision flourmills were not taken on board and this resulted in the short supply of wheat to the Karachi base mills. "We have wheat stocks only for next 24 hours and if the ban not lift on Wednesday, Sindh base mills will go on strike from Friday (tomorrow)" he said and added that in the second phase flourmills working across the country will go on shutdown strike to show solidarity with Sindh base mills.
Sindh Circle chairman said that this year the country has a bumper wheat crop of 25 million tons as against consumption of 20 million tons while the country has already wheat stocks of 3 million tons from last year crop, so this year some 8 million tons surplus wheat would be available.
Due to the bumper crop and easily availability of wheat, the flour prices have already decline by Rs 5 per kg to Rs 28, however, with this type of action to achieve 1.3 million tons of procurement target will resulted in high commodity price despite bumper crop, he mentioned. He said that government's this step will hurt growers' interest and they will not get a better price of their crop. He has urged president of Pakistan, Prime Minister, Chief Minister Sindh and minister food Sindh to immediately lift the ban to avoid shortage of commodity in Karachi.