Millers cut supply of subsidised flour, go on strike

Rawalpindi : The Rawalpindi and Islamabad Flourmills Association has stopped subsidised flour supply and announced to go on strike here on Saturday.

Rising wheat prices, reduction in the quota of flourmills, and the abolition of flour subsidy have created a flour crisis here in the whole district of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The flourmills owners here in Rawalpindi and Islamabad did not lift subsidised wheat from District Food Controller (DFC) warehouses on Saturday.

Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz announced to provide subsidised flour to the public at Rs490 in open market shops and Rs400 in government-run utility stores. But, subsidised flour is not available in all areas neither in government-run utility stores nor in open market shops due to the stoppage of supply.

The Rawalpindi and Islamabad Flourmills Association Vice Chairman Atif Mirza told ‘The News’ that they stopped the supply of subsidised flour in protest over the non-equal distribution of subsidised wheat quota, cheaper prices, and raids of district administration in flourmills. The Punjab government is providing 2,692 tons subsidised wheat to Rawalpindi and Islamabad but the district administration is not giving us subsidised quota as per requirement. The district administration is providing subsidised wheat to blue-eyed mill owners secondly district government was continuously harassing mill owners, he alleged.

In the open market, the price of a 20-kilogram flour bag has gone up from Rs1250 to a record Rs1600.

District Food Controller (DFC) spokesman Muhammad Ali said that the administration was distributing subsidised wheat equally to all flourmills on regular basis. The flourmill owners did not lift subsidized wheat for grinding and went on strike here on Saturday. They have decided to stop subsidised flour supply, he claimed.

On the other hand, the Nanbai association has demanded that the price of bread be fixed at Rs20 and declared that they cannot sell cheap bread by buying expensive flour.

Flourmill owners have also increased the price of flour while the district administration has failed to curb wheat smuggling to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan.