‘Expired’ wheat being supplied to flourmills

Rawalpindi

Unfortunately, District Food Department is continuously supplying outdated expired wheat to flourmills playing with the lives of public openly, but higher authorities have not taken any action against responsible officials.

The consumers have demanded Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to take immediate action against this health related issue to provide quality flour to public.

All Pakistan Flourmill Association (APFA) Senior Vice Chairman Muhammad Rehan in his statement to ‘The News’ has claimed that flourmills are being supplied four-year old wheat for grinding. He has admitted that wheat sacks remained in open space endured monsoon rains of four years. It was impossible to produce quality flour with expired wheat, he said.

We wanted to provide quality ‘atta’ to public but it was needed full cooperation of District Food Department, he said. He said that government authorities should take action against rule violators.

It is worth mentioning here that majority of flourmills with full backing of District Food Department are openly using 27 per cent water in wheat grinding, which not only make ‘atta’ substandard but also over weight. This unsafe ‘atta’ is also being sold at the rate of Rs780 to Rs800 per 20-kilogram bag while several shopkeepers are selling it for Rs850. The government had allowed 13 per cent use of water in grinding but unfortunately concerned officers are unmoved against violation by the flourmills owners. District Food Controller (DFC) Muhammad Ejaz Mehar said, “we are continuously monitoring flourmills to grind quality ‘atta’ for public. We have imposed fines and even locked some of flourmills which were involved in supplying low quality ‘atta’.”

There is no reason for low-quality ‘atta’ because the government is supplying 100 per cent local wheat to flourmills.

The district food department senior official on condition of anonymity said in fact majority of flourmills are using 27 per cent water in wheat grinding, which is not hygienic. He said they should use potable water to avoid health problems, adding the government should take action against violators of the law.

“How we could waste huge wheat which was expired some four years old,” he claimed. He also said that wheat which we are supplying was already outdated and water filled. Definitely, mills would be once again mixed water to wheat at the time of grinding, he said.