LAHORE: Punjab Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has urged the Sindh government to start provision of wheat to flour mills on subsidized rates. It will bridge the gap of flour prices in Sindh and other provinces.

After the supply of government wheat to flour mills at subsidized rates across Punjab, a 20 kg bag of flour is available at Rs 860. But, the same is available at over Rs 1200 per bag as soon as it crosses the boundary between Rahim Yar Khan and Sindh. He also said that, according to the constitution of Pakistan, no province could stop the inter-provincial transportation of wheat or flour, so Punjab has had to bear this burden.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Abdul Aleem Khan said that Sindh had huge reserves of wheat but it was not providing subsidized wheat to flour mills while Punjab had been spending billions of rupees in that regard. He appealed to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to immediately intervene in the matter and ensure supply of wheat to flour mills in Sindh at lower rates and decrease the price of flour at Punjab level. He wondered that if Punjab and KP could provide cheap flour then why not the Sindh government.

The Senior Minister also stated that 17,000 tons of wheat was being supplied to flour mills in Punjab daily which had been increased to 32,000 tons during Eid days. He mentioned that they had 10 months stock and wheat would be imported before December in which Punjab's share would be 7 to 8 lakh tons. He said so far orders have been issued to import 4.44 lakh tons of wheat.

Abdul Aleem Khan hinted at a change in the method of subsidy on flour in Punjab and said that work on it has already been started and a new strategy will be devised in the next few months under which only deserving people will be given low rates atta, which, in turn, will make the Rs 860 bag more cheap and help for this targeted subsidy can be sought from the data of Ehsas Program. Replying to a question, Aleem said the wheat production has been reduced in Upper Punjab due to rains and other factors. The Punjab government did not provide wheat to non-functional flour mills this year at subsidized rate while the Food Department has completed procurement of more than 4 million metric tons of wheat, which is a record, and in this process the farmers were paid in one day.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020