ICCI urges Govt. to accept demands of Flour Millers for averting flour crisis in the country
- May 18, 2020
Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, President, Islamabad Chamber
of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) has called upon the government to take
immediate measures for accepting the demands of flour mills owners in order to
avert any flour crisis in the country. He said this while talking to a delegation of
flour mills owners that called on him led by Sheikh Tariq Sadiq, Central Executive
Member of Flour Mills Association. The delegation apprised him of the issues
being faced by the flour millers due to some wrong policies of the Punjab
Government. Ch. Mukhtar former Secretary General of Flour Mills Association,
Sheikh Shaukat and others were in the delegation.
Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that due to the strike and closure of flour mills,
severe flour crisis would emerge while large number of workers would lose their
jobs and people would also face great difficulties. He said the flour crisis would
also enhance prices of flour leading to more miseries for the common man. He
appealed to the government to resolve issues of flour mills on priority basis.
Speaking at the occasion, Sheikh Tariq Sadiq, Central Executive Member of Flour
Mills Association, Ch. Mukhtar and and other members of delegation said that
wrong policies of Punjab Government have created flour crisis. They said that
previously, government was buying wheat while private parties and flour mills
were also allowed to buy wheat. However, this time under the pretext of anti-
hoarding ordinance, raids were being conducted due to which wheat was not
coming to wheat markets. They said that those farmers who want to sell wheat
to mills, their wheat was also confiscated during transportation and included in
the government stock. They said that due to raids and confiscation, farmers have
also stocked wheat and this situation has led to increase in price of wheat to
Rs.1800 per 40Kg in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. They said that in previous years,
private parties and flour mills were allowed to buy sufficient quantity of wheat,
but government was also getting 2 Lac ton wheat per day. But this time, despite
the fact that private parties and flour mills were disallowed to buy wheat,
government was getting low quantity of wheat. It showed two things, one that
people have stocked wheat in their homes and second the wheat production
remained less than expectations. They were afraid that people who have stocked
wheat in their homes will sell it on their own choice and rate that would further
increase the price of wheat leading to further increase in price of flour as well.
They urged that Punjab Government should remove ban on movement of wheat
within the province so that people could get flour at reasonable price. They
further said that KPK was also part of Pakistan and should be allowed easy supply
of wheat that would keep prices of flour at affordable rate for people.