PFMA demands uniform food policy to end flour crisis

The Chairman of Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), Mohammad Naeem Butt, on Tuesday termed separate food policies by the provinces main cause of wheat crisis and widespread disparity of flour rates in different parts of the country. The ban on transportation of wheat from Punjab to other provinces is another reason causing unprecedented hike in the prices of flour in NWFP and Balochistan, he said.
Addressing a press conference here, along with other office-bearers of PFMA, he said that flour in Punjab is sold at Rs 18.50 per kilogram against Rs 23 in Sindh and Rs 30 in Balochistan and NWFP.
He demanded implementation of uniform food policy, besides lifting ban on transportation of wheat among the provinces. He also demanded for retrieving wheat business from provincial governments and to include it in the federal pool again to ensure uniform wheat price across the country.
Referring to wheat quota for flourmills, he demanded of Balochistan and NWFP governments to ensure the facility of storing wheat by their flourmills for 30 days, as is the case in Punjab. He suggested for the federal government to export flour to Afghanistan, instead of wheat, to revive the flourmills industry in the country. Stressing the need for putting strict ban on establishment of new flourmills, he said that currently over 400 flourmills are operational across the country, and new mills would be mere waste of money.