Senior Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan has ordered immediate sealing of flour mills which are buying wheat at low rates from the government and selling flour in other provinces at high prices.
He said that official wheat quota of such flour mills should be stopped immediately and strict action taken against their managements. He stated that it was after detailed consultation with the flour mills that the price of a 20kg bag of flour was fixed at Rs860, among other important decisions. After these steps, there was no justification to illegally transport the low-cost flour to another province for illicit profit.
Abdul Aleem Khan, during a visit to Bahawalpur and Multan districts, also directed the food department officials to adopt a joint strategy along with the administration to take immediate action and identify the flour mills involved in smuggling. He said the relief from billions of rupees’ subsidy must reach the people and any hindrance in this regard will be dealt with swiftly.
The minister said that in 95% of the areas the flour bags were available at government rates in abundance and their sale was obligatory on every shopkeeper as well. He said that there should be stern action against hoarding and profiteering.
Abdul Aleem Khan instructed the food department officers to inspect the flour mills. He added that he had decided to visit different districts to review the situation and he would also tour Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Sialkot. Talking to the media, Abdul Aleem Khan said he had also appealed to the Sindh government to start supplying subsidised wheat to flour mills like Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa so that a uniform price of flour could be fixed across the country.
He said artificial shortage was linked to price fluctuations and as soon as a truck of flour entered Sindh from Rahim Yar Khan, its price increased significantly. The food secretary is also starting consultations for the price of sugar next week, he said and appealed to the mill owners to reduce the rate of profit.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2020.
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