Punjab flour millers to get wheat cheaper than market rates

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government on Monday assured the flour mill owners that they would be provided wheat at cheaper rates than the open market.

An important meeting was held between Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin and the Pakistan Flour Mills Association delegation on Monday in the minister’s chamber in the Punjab Assembly, in which it was agreed to make necessary amendments in the notification of July 6, 2024 about maximum prices of 10 kg and 20 kg bags of flour.

The Punjab Food secretary and director agreed with Punjab Flour Mills Association Chairman Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmad Mattoo and his fellow officials that a clerical error was found in the July 6 notification and a new notification would be issued in the next 24 hours.

Bilal Yasin assured the delegation that the Punjab Food Department would provide wheat to the flour mill owners of Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Wazirabad, Hafizabad and Multan at Rs2,900 per 40 kg.

For Rahim Yar Khan, Khushab, Chiniot, Sargodha, Faisalabad and Toba Tek Singh, wheat would be provided to the flour mills at Rs2,850 per 40 kg, while mills in Bahawalnagar, Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur, Bhakkar and Jhang would be assured of wheat supply at Rs2,800 per 40 kg.

The Punjab chapter of Pakistan Flour Mills Association thanked the provincial food minister. Now while flour mills are buying Rs3,300 per 40 kg wheat in the open market, they would get Rs2,800 to Rs2,900 per 40 kg wheat, so they would reduce the rate of 20 kg flour bag by the same ratio. About the four-fold increase in turnover taxes and MDI rates on flour mills industry, the provincial minister said that these taxes belonged to the federal government, adding that the Punjab government had not imposed any tax on flour and neither would Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz allow anyone to force people to buy expensive flour.