Wheat smuggling: Sindh CM directs administration to seal borders

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, keeping in view the growing flour prices in the market, has ordered all the divisional commissioners and DIGs in the province to seal its borders to stop wheat smuggling to other countries and also start an operation against hoarders.

He took this decision on Tuesday while presiding over a meeting of the Sindh Food Department to review the wheat stocks and flour prices all over Sindh. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Hari Ram, Mukesh Chawla, Syed Nasir Shah, Advisor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, IG Sindh Mushtaq Maher, Principal Secretary to CM Said Jamal Abro, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shahalwani, Additional Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon, Secretary Food Laiq Ahmed. The divisional commissioners and DIGs of the divisions other than Karachi joined the meeting through video link.

Food Minister Hari Ram and Food Secretary Food Laiq Ahmed, briefing the chief minister on wheat stocks as on July 9, 2020, said that 6.840 MMT of wheat was available in the country, including 4.283 MMT in Punjab, 1.262 Sindh, 0.065 MMT in KPK, 0.092 MMT in Balochistan and 1.138 MMT with PASSCO. At this, the chief minister said that during the corresponding period of 2019, wheat stocks having volume 7.758 MMTs were available. “This shows a shortfall of 0.918 MMT stocks this year.”