Millers call off strike after govt assures hassle-free wheat buying

LAHORE: Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Punjab on Tuesday ended strike after government assured them of hassle-free wheat buying and determination of flour rate after Eid.

A 10-member delegation of Flour Mills Association called on Senior & Food Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan and announced ending the strike, which entered second day on Tuesday, on assurance that their concerns would be allayed.

PFMA Central Chairman Asim Raza and Provincial President Abdul Rauf Mukhtar who were heading this delegation agreed that flour prices would not be increased until Eid-ul-Fitr and the district administration not to raid the flour mills while the Food Department would have access to these mills.

According to an official announcement, Senior & Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that flour mills would be allowed for seven days wheat storage instead of 72 hours. He said that permission in this regard was being given but the flour mills would be bound to declare their stocks to government.

He telephoned the chief secretary during the meeting and asked him to convey the new instructions up to the division and district level.

Abdul Aleem Khan said that this year wheat was being bought but intended to create a new mechanism for the affairs of flour mills for which the stakeholders concerned should be on the same page. He said that for this purpose, a joint meeting of the Food Department and Flour Mills Association would be held immediately after Eid.

The Senior Minister clarified that the government’s job should not be to procure raw materials but to regulate and facilitate flour mills. He said that the Punjab government spends huge amount on procurement of wheat while storing and re-shifting is another exercise. He added that a new strategy would be worked out for the procurement of wheat and “bardana” or gunny bags in the coming years.

Senior Minister asked the officials of the Flour Mills Association to formulate their proposals in the light of which the next road map would be designed.

The meeting decided that after Eid flour mills of KP would also be given wheat but KP Food Department would buy wheat in collaboration with Punjab government.

Central Chairman Flour Mills Association Asim Raza, Provincial President Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, Mian Nadeem Nisar, Iftikhar Muttoo and Khurram Shehzad informed about the problems of flour mills in different districts. Liaquat Ali Khan, Mian Riaz, Hafiz Ahmed, Farrukh Shehzad and Mian Naseem also said that the situation had worsened in Sargodha, Multan, Gujrat and Kasur Districts where flour mills did not have wheat for threshing.

The delegation thanked the minister who listened to their demands patiently and resolved them immediately.