Packaging of wheat flour, cement: PPWSMA spells out losses being ‘caused by Kraft paper’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Polypropylene Woven Sack Manufactures Association (PPWSMA) has requested Prime Minister, Imran Khan to save billions of rupees of government and public being wasted by using ‘’carcinogenic Kraft paper sacks ‘’for packing of wheat flour (Atta) and cement.

Association has sent presentations on October 07, 2019, June 22, 2020, February 10, 2021 and August 02. 2021 and sought Prime Minister’s intervention to ensure the implementation of mandatory gazetted notifications of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) for the wheat flour and cement packaging.

However, despite Prime Minister’s directions, the PSQCA mandatory SRO’s have not been implemented. As a result, people across the country have lost Rs 310 billion whereas GoP has lost $ 200 million, since 2016.

In a new letter to Prime Minister, Chairman PPWSMA, Iskandar. M. Khan said people lost Atta valuing Rs 61 billion during the year 2020-2021 alone, because of the wastage of Atta through porous weave of the inferior quality polypropylene sacks currently used in violation of the S.R.O. 46(KE)/2017 for the mandatory use of PSQCA licensed, food-grade polypropylene sacks for Atta packaging that have negligible cost of only Rs. 4/-higher compared to the currently used, non-food grade and inferior quality polypropylene sacks that results in the wastage of Atta valuing Rs 75/- to Rs 80- per sack to people.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022