PFMA assails Punjab govt for imposing ban on wheat movement

LAHORE: The Punjab government has reportedly imposed restrictions on the inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour, drawing sharp criticism from the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), which termed the move unconstitutional and against the policy of deregulation.

According to PFMA Punjab Chairman Riazullah Khan, check posts have been set up at exit points of the province to block the transportation of wheat and flour to other regions. He argued that such measures contradict the spirit of deregulation, under which the trade and movement of wheat were to remain unrestricted.

Khan said that wheat stocks in the country were sufficient to meet food requirements and warned that unnecessary restrictions often become the root cause of crises. He added that official procurement of wheat has been halted for the past two years, leaving growers in distress. Farmers’ groups have already cautioned that such policies could affect wheat cultivation in the coming season.

He further noted that provinces including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and parts of Sindh rely heavily on wheat supplies from Punjab. The disruption, he said, was creating a sense of deprivation and unrest among smaller provinces, while also threatening the financial stability of the flour milling industry, which has invested billions of rupees nationwide.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025