Capital on verge of wheat crisis

ICTA urges Punjab to ease restrictions on grain transport

ISLAMABAD: With a shortage of wheat flour looming in the federal capital, the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) has requested the Punjab government to ease the restrictions on trucks laden with wheat to travel to the federal capital.

This was urged by the district administration on Thursday as it held a meeting with the local flour mills association to deliberate on the price of flour in the city.

Representatives of the association said that the provincial government is not allowing trucks to bring wheat stocks to the federal capital. And with wheat not grown in the remits of ICT, they had no other source for wheat. In this situation, the association members warned that the price of flour could rise astronomically.

Row over wheat purchase persists

They said that wheat which had been procured by the government at controlled rates is not being provided to mills. Hence, it was impossible to ensure that flour is provided at the regulated rate of Rs805 for 20kg. Mills who have procured wheat privately are selling 20kg bag for Rs1,000, but this could increase since privately procured grain and flour is not being transported to the federal capital.

Senior officials of the ICTA spoke with the Punjab Food Department secretary and the secretary of the National Food Security ministry and requested them to allow the transport of wheat to the federal capital.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2020.