Punjab mills owners announce to increase flour price

LAHORE: Punjab flour mills owners on Thursday announced to increase the flour prices in the Punjab province, citing rise in prices of wheat, ARY NEWS reported.

Announcing the decision, Punjab Flour Mills Association Chairman Abdul Rauf Mukhtar said that the 20-kilogram flour bag would now be sold out at Rs 840, witnessing an increase of Rs 40.

“These prices will be applicable across the Punjab province,” he said adding that the decision was taken after an increase in wheat prices.

He said that neither they were allowed to purchase wheat nor wheat was provided to them from the government quota. “We are facing shortage of wheat stocks,” he claimed.

It is pertinent to mention here that former Federal Minister for National Food Security Khusro Bakhtiar on March 27 said that there was no shortage of flour in the country as the government has enough stocks of wheat to meet country-wide need.

Talking to media, the federal minister said that they have completed a mapping process under which food commodities would be provided across the country.

“If there is any shortage for the time being then it is due to flour stocks piled by masses,” he said adding that people stocked three flour bags as compared to their need for one bag.

We have taken important decisions in today’s meeting to ensure supply chain of food commodities, the minister said adding that currently the public sector has a stock of 1.6 million tonnes of wheat and if that wheat is provided to flour mills than even temporary flour crisis could be averted.

Khusro Bakhtiar further hoped that the provinces would also provide from their wheat share to flour mills to ensure availability of the basic food commodity.