DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Special Assistant to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister for Food Dr Mohammad Israr Khan on Wednesday said the provincial government had started releasing 2,000 metric tonnes of wheat daily from its strategic reserves, a move that had helped bring down wheat and flour prices in the province.
In a video statement, Dr Israr said 20,000 wheat bags, each weighing 100 kilogrammes, were being supplied to flour mills every day to ensure the availability of affordable flour for consumers.
He said the provincial government had fixed the price of a 20kg flour bag at Rs2,520 and urged consumers to monitor the quality of flour supplied by mills using government wheat. He asked citizens to immediately report any substandard flour to the relevant authorities.
The adviser warned that flour mills found providing poor-quality flour would face cancellation of their wheat quota along with legal action.
Dr Israr said the provincial government was utilising all available resources to ensure the provision of affordable and quality flour to the public. He, however, alleged that policies of the Punjab government had contributed to an increase in flour prices across the country.
He claimed that Punjab, with the support of the federal government, had imposed restrictions on the inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour, which he termed a violation of Article 151 of the Constitution.
The special assistant further alleged that district administrations and police in Punjab were preventing wheat and flour consignments bound for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from passing through without illegal payments, affecting the supply of essential commodities.
He urged the federal government to remove what he called illegal restrictions on the movement of wheat and flour between provinces or allow the provincial government and traders to import wheat from neighbouring countries.
Dr Israr said quality wheat could be imported from nearby countries at lower prices, adding that traders and investors would ensure quality control while the provincial government would continue regulatory oversight.
He warned that if restrictions on inter-provincial wheat and flour movement were not lifted and wheat imports were not allowed, the federal government would be responsible for any future shortage or increase in prices.
