Teams of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority and the Food Department were regularly monitoring the quality of wheat and flour
DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Department supplied 306,303 flour bags at official rates across the province during the past week through 1,639 active dealers, according to data released by the department on Monday.
The department said 86,854 bags were supplied in Peshawar Division, 40,401 in Mardan, 59,264 in Malakand, 65,682 in Hazara, 20,700 in Bannu, 33,402 in Dera Ismail Khan and 23,224 in Kohat divisions.
Action was also taken against dealers and flour mills found violating standard operating procedures (SOPs) and laws governing the official flour supply mechanism.
In Peshawar, the quotas and licences of 14 flour dealers were cancelled, while action was taken against 11 dealers in Khyber district.
Similarly, the official quota of one flour mill and seven dealers in Charsadda, and two flour mills and 15 dealers in Nowshera, was cancelled over violations.
Food Department officials said 3,000 metric tonnes of government wheat were being released daily to flour mills from the provincial strategic reserve.
The provincial government is providing a 20kg bag of flour made from government wheat for Rs2,520 through designated de alers, officials said.
They said teams of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety and Halal Food Authority and the Food Department were regularly monitoring the quality of wheat and flour. Strict action would be taken against flour mills found supplying substandard flour, they added.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Food Dr Mohammad Israr Khan urged consumers to remain vigilant about the quality of flour prepared from government wheat and report any substandard product to the relevant authorities.
He said the quota of any flour mill found supplying substandard flour would be cancelled and legal proceedings initiated against those responsible.
Dr Israr said the provincial government was taking all possible measures to ensure the availability of quality flour at affordable prices.
He also criticised restrictions imposed by the Punjab government on the interprovincial movement of wheat and flour, describing them as unconstitutional and saying they had contributed to an increase in flour prices across the country.
