PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has demanded of the provincial government to increase wheat quota of flour mills in the province from 3,000 to 7,000 metric tons per day.

The association also called for lifting the unnecessary ban on movement of flour from Punjab.

The demands were made during the annual general meeting of the PFMA-KP at a hotel here. Provincial Minister for Higher Education Kamran Bangash attended the meeting as the chief guest.

The meeting was also attended by newly elected provincial chairman of PFMA Haji Muhammad Iqbal, Peshawar division’s senior vice chairman Shahzad Qureshi, Mardan division’s vice chairman Abid Iqbal, Hazara division’s vice chairman Qari Noor Muhammad, Malakand division’s vice chairman Sartaj Ali, Kohat division’s vice chairman Faheemullah, and DI Khan’s vice chairman Samiullah. Former provincial chairman of PFMA Sabir Bangash was also present.

Muhammad Naeem Butt presented the annual performance report and expressed the hope that the newly elected office-bearers of PFMA would make vigorous efforts for resolving issues confronting the flour milling industry in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He demanded of the provincial food department to stop the supply of flour through trucks and said a list of flour dealers should be provided to the mills in order to ensure distribution of the commodity in an appropriate manner.

Mr Butt said the per day wheat quota should be increased from 3,000 to 7,000 metric tons for flour mills in the province. He urged the provincial government to lift the unnecessary ban on movement of flour from Punjab.

He also called for the fulfillment of wheat requirements in the province. He said if the government would allow a daily quota of 7,000 metric tons to flour mills, the price of flour would decrease by about Rs500 per bag.

The provincial chairman of PFMA, Haji Iqbal, vowed he would make all-out efforts to resolve the issues of the industry in the province.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022