Flour mills threaten to go on strike over wheat supply issues

LAHORE: Flour Mills Association has threatened to go on strike from Tuesday claiming that they have not been issued the entire quota of wheat that could lead to a flour shortage in the country, ARY NEWS reported on Friday.

The association said that the government should accept their demands by Monday, otherwise they would go on strike from Tuesday.

“We are not being issued the entire quota of wheat,” the chairman of the flour mills association said adding that a delay could lead to a flour shortage in the country.

Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday issued directives for the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination to ask the Sindh government to immediately release wheat to flour mills to bring down the commodity’s price in the province.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry through his official Twitter account said the provincial government has halted the release of 1.2 million tonnes of wheat, driving its rate up.

He claimed that wheat is the costliest in Sindh as compared to other provinces, noting the provincial government did not procure the grain previously.

Earlier, the Sindh cabinet with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah in the chair was informed that 1.2 million tonnes of wheat are available in warehouses in the province.

It green-lighted the release of wheat to flour mills at the rate of Rs1,950 a tonne from October 15.

The cabinet was further informed that the Punjab government has started releasing wheat at Rs1950/tonne.