PESHAWAR: Despite tall claims by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to have adequate supply of wheat in the province, the provincial food department has reduced the wheat supply to 45 sacks per mill from 5,000 tonnes per day, triggering severe crisis in the province in days to come.
According to the Pakistan Flour Mills Association, the provincial government had earlier supplied 5,000 tonnes to the provincial mills, while 5,000 tonnes wheat was provided by the Punjab government.
As Punjab has completely stopped the supply, the KP food department has too reduced the supply of grain to mills to just 3,000 tonnes. The province’s daily requirement is 12,000 tonnes.
Due to lack of supply to mills, the flour price has been increased in the markets despite the commencement of wheat harvest in KP’s plains areas.
The mills association says owing to non-availability of wheat in the market, the owners of flour mills in KP are not able to supply flour to the markets, which has led to fears of shortage of flour across the province.
PFMA President Muhammad Naeem Butt told Pakistan Today that they have earlier warned the provincial government to take up the issue of ban on wheat supply with Sindh, Punjab and the federal government, but they paid no attention.
Butt added that the entire responsibility now lies on the PTI-led provincial government. “The current performance of the provincial government and its food department in the prevailing circumstances is very disappointing and a matter of great concern,” the flour miller said.
KP government ministers have repeatedly claimed availability of sufficient quantity of wheat, but the reality is opposite.
“KP has now run out of wheat stock and the food department is providing just 45 sacks per flour mill,” Butt said, adding the worst flour crisis in the history of KP is going to arise if Punjab and Sindh government are not forced to remove the ‘unconstitutional and illegal’ ban on wheat supply and flour to KP.
The PFMA chief said ban on supply of wheat by any province is a violation of Article 151 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
Earlier, provincial food minister Qalandar Lodhi said both the province would remove ban after fulfilling their own requirements, but so far no step has been taken in this regard.
Furthermore PFMA KP chapter has demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan to help resolve the wheat crisis immediately.
“Free movement of wheat should be ensured and if this situation continues all flour mills in the province would be closed in protest,” the association warned.
