Flour mills reject wheat release policy, announce strike from 26th

LAHORE: The Punjab Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has rejected the wheat release policy and announced a strike across Punjab from September 26 to suspend flour supply to markets.

Despite an offer from the Provincial government to lift the wheat quota from Monday, the flour mills refused to do so on one pretext or another. Addressing a press conference here Monday, Chairman PFMA Asim Raza Ahmad and others said that the Punjab government has announced an ambiguous policy of issuing wheat from official stock to flour mills.

The flour mills would neither enter into an agreement with the government nor pick up government wheat unless their demands are met, they vowed. Group of flour mill owners claimed that being a stakeholder they should have been not taken into confidence in policy formulation.

They regretted that the wheat issuance policy has been formulated based on an outdated system. The population has been made the basis for the distribution mechanism which is against the ground realities.

The share of the rural population has been completely ignored in the policy, they observed. They were of the view that the share of flour products in grinding has been altered illogically. “The grinding charges of flour mills have also been reduced by Rs. 200 per 40kg. These grinding charges are not applicable in any way from the ratio of 20 to 80. It may result in shortage of fine and maida in the market.”

Therefore, they said, it has been decided that flour mills will not lift the official wheat quota from today till September 26. The flour industry will convene a meeting to announce its next course of action next week. Until then, the flour mills will continue to supply flour to the market by crushing the private wheat available in the market. Currently, the availability of private wheat in the market is very low. In such a case, the supply of flour in the market is likely to be affected very soon.