Flour millers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have warned they will launch a protest movement, if the illegal ban on wheat supply from Punjab was not lifted immediately.
Speaking in a news conference at Qadir flour mill in Amaan Garh district Nowshera on Monday, the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter chairman Sabir Ahmad Bagash said that illegitimate and unconstitutional restrictions on supply of wheat from Punjab has been imposed, which was highly condemnable and creating difficulties to provide flour on cheap rates in the open markets.
The PFMA provincial chairman alleged the wheat-laden trucks on-route to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were seized by Punjab police by checking on various checkpoints. He added Punjab police have also registered illegal cases against millers.
“80 per cent wheat is being produced by Punjab province”, says Bangash.
He informed that total wheat demand in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is around 50 lakh metric ton but KP is unable to provide required wheat to mills as per demand.
Despite ‘self-sufficient’ in electricity production, the PFMA provincial chairman said electricity was unable to run flour mills units smoothly as millers said they are facing huge operational and financial losses owing to frequent power outages in the province.
Sabir Bangash warned the price of a 20 kg flour bag would be increased at Rs2,000 in KP if the issue of wheat was not resolved immediately.
In addition he urged the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ensure supply of wheat at subsidized rates to flour mills across the province.
The flour millers warned they would initiate a protest movement if the illegal ban of wheat supply from Punjab was not lifted immediately.
Naeem Butt, Group leader of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association KP chapter said the wheat shortage issue would not be resolved within the next 10 days then they (millers) would decide the future course of action.
Butt informed the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation Limited (PASSCO) provided 5 lakh metric ton wheat and 1 lakh metric ton wheat by Punjab province to KP in the last year.
He said if the government would provide us wheat on subsidized rates then flour mills will sell flour on cheap rates.
He informed there were a total of 250 flour mills established, out of which 70 per cent were non-operational in the province.
UNITED NATIONS and others creating an artificial world wide famine, and gas shortage. …”The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.”