In a first, Punjab notifies prices of privately bought wheat, its products

LAHORE: In an unprecedented move to curb the price hike of food staple, the Punjab government on Saturday notified prices of privately bought wheat and products made out of it.

The director Food Punjab issued three notifications in this regard, elaborating maximum price of indigenous wheat, whole meal wheat flour (atta) and fortified wheat flour for each 38 districts of the province, in exercise of powers under Section 5(2) of the recently promulgated Punjab Price Control of Essential Commodities Act, 2024. The new rates would come into effect forthwith and remain in force until altered/withdrawn.

According to the notifications, the director fixed the district-wise maximum retail price of 40-kg indigenous wheat in the range of Rs2,800 to Rs3,050. The notifications made it clear that no dealer, wholesale dealer, retail dealer or retailer shall charge or cause to be charged the retail prices of the indigenous wheat offered for sale, in excess of the rates fixed.

The provincial government also fixed the district-wise maximum retail price of whole meal wheat flour (atta) for 10-kg and 20-kg flour bags to Rs900 and Rs1,800. The director Food also issued an order for labelling each bag, name of the material, name and address of the miller/manufacturer, list of ingredients/additives, trademark, average net weight, batch or code number, net mass in KG and date of manufacture and expiry in addition to mentioning mark and licence number. As per the third notification, the director Food notified district-wise maximum retail prices of fortified wheat flour for 10-kg and 20-kg bags ranging between Rs820 to Rs1,620 respectively to Rs920 to Rs1,840.

Commenting on the development, Majid Abdullah and Khaliq Arshad of the Progressive Flour Millers Group termed fixation of price for privately bought and held wheat a mockery made by the provincial Food Department. They questioned that in the free-market economy and demand and supply market, how the provincial government could fix wheat and atta rates.