LAHORE: Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) once again rejecting the official wheat release policy of the Punjab government has announced not to obtain any wheat quota from the government until it is given to flour mills of all the 36 districts of the province on an equal basis.

PFMA Punjab also announced to sell the 20 kilograms of flour bag at Rs 1055 per bag till the acceptance of its demands in this regard. It also warned that flour prices can again be raised if wheat prices increase in the open market.

The Association once again held the Punjab food departments high ups of not fulfilling the promises made by the millers.

PFMA Central Chairman Asim Raza Ahmad, PFMA Punjab Chairman Rauf Mukhtar and others announced this while addressing a press conference here on Friday evening. They claimed that the Secretary Food Punjab had made a promise during the negotiation that mills would be given an official wheat quota on an equal basis across the province in line with the population.

They said the food department had also claimed that wheat to be released on Rs 1600 per maund and later the summary was changed abruptly. They said that even the private sector cannot import wheat at the rate of Rs 1475 per maund. They said the consultations made with the flour millers were totally ignored while announcing the wheat release policy.

'We have reservations about this new policy as this policy has been made on the basis of urban population which is wrong and equal to inviting a crisis,' they added. They said the mills from districts having a small population would be given official wheat in very little quantity which would not be sufficient to even run the flour mills. It would definitely hurt the flour supply in the market thus leading to a crisis like situation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020