Punjab CM Usman Buzdar orders flour availability at fixed rates

LAHORE: Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has directed the provincial price control committee, food department and administration to ensure availability of flour bags at fixed rates in the markets.

In a statement, the chief minister made it clear that no hurdle would be tolerated in the availability of flour bags at the government rates. Every possible step be taken in this regard and a report be submitted to the CM Office along with indiscriminate action against hoarders, he added.

He reiterated that hoarders will not be allowed to exploit the people and directed the food department and administrative officers to go to the field to monitor the markets' situation. Ample wheat stock is available in Punjab and prior release of wheat to flour mills has also been ensured to stabilise the flour prices, he said. Any artificial increase in the prices of flour bags is unacceptable and the monitoring of crushing of wheat in flour mills should be made strict, the chief minister concluded.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Monday, President Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Khalid Khokhar demanded the government streamline affairs of seed sector in the province.

During the meeting, Secretary Agriculture Punjab was also summoned for assisting CM over demands raised by the farmer organisation. Interestingly, provincial agriculture minister was absent from the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Khokhar said that Punjab Seed Corporation (PSC) had been a headless organisation for long, which affected its day-to-day affairs. He asked for expediting the posting of a regular and suitable Managing Director of PSC instead of posting on additional charge or acting charge.

The working of Punjab Seed Corporation should be improved so that this entity capture at least 20 percent share in seed market of major crops, especially wheat, cotton, pulses, and oilseed crops.

The low availability of wheat seed is another cause of concern for the farmers, Khokhar said adding federal seed certification department only carried out sampling of one-fourth required quantity.