Nanbais announce shutter-down strike

The Pakistan Nanbai Association has announced a complete shutter-down strike of ovens [tandoor] on Friday, May 5, against the ongoing severe wheat crisis in the Rawalpindi district.

Following the announcement, it is feared that all 140 flour mills in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad will be shut down from Thursday [tomorrow].

Owing to the suspension of government quota and acute shortage of wheat grains, as many as 91 flour mills in both cities were forced to close a day earlier.

Sources said due to the lack of supply of wheat, the bags of flour and fine flour have also become expensive in the open market.

Every year in the wheat procurement season in Punjab, the government through the food department used to provide wheat quota to Rawalpindi and Islamabad for being non-wheat producing districts. However, this year the caretaker government has suspended this quota.

According to sources, due to the closure of the government quota for a week, the flour mills have started to run out of their wheat stock due to which 91 flour mills have already closed while others have only two days of stock left.

“All the flour mills in the twin cities will be completely shut down as soon as this stock is exhausted from Thursday,” they said.

The mill owners have put up boards outside the mills reading "flour delivery closed".

When contacted, the former vice chairman of Punjab Flour Mills Association, Raza Ahmad Shah, said: “Rawalpindi and Islamabad are non-wheat-producing districts, therefore, every year during the wheat buying season, the government would issue wheat permits to the mills of the twin cities for purchase of 60 to 70 tonnes of wheat which would ensure the smooth working of these mills.”

Shah said this year the quota was completely abolished. “Due to the cessation of flour milling, the flour in the garrison city has become more expensive by Rs38 per kg. If wheat permits are not issued within 48 hours, all flour mills in Rawalpindi, Islamabad will be completely closed from Thursday, which will create a severe flour crisis.” On the other hand, the Pakistan Nanbai Association said that due to the non-availability of wheat, the price of a sack of flour in the open market has increased to Rs12,000 and a sack of fine flour to Rs13,500. “We cannot buy expensive flour and sell cheap roti which is why we are going on a complete shutter-down strike on May 5,” the association said. “The price of roti and naan will be raised by Rs5 to Rs10 from Sunday.”

Meanwhile, the flour mills union of the district has also increased the price of wheat to Rs180 per kg.

Salim Parvez Butt, Central President of the Grocery Merchant Association, has demanded the deputy commissioner and the director of food restore the wheat quota to curb the wheat crisis immediately.

He warned that once the flour becomes expensive due to the closure of all flour mills, the crisis will spread over a month.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2023.