Four floor mills in Rawalpindi closed due to wheat reserves’ depletion

RAWALPINDI: Four flour mills have been shut down after the depletion of wheat stocks in the Rawalpindi district due to which wheat may not be available in the open market.

There is a possibility that after Eid al-Azha, the chances of flour mills being closed in the district would increase by 50 percent. The District Food Controller has demanded wheat from six major producing districts of Punjab including the District Food Department of Muzaffargarh, Jhang, Rajanpur, Sargodha, Dairy Ghazi Khan, and Mianwali to provide wheat as only a few amounts of wheat has left in the district.

According to sources, in a written letter sent to the food controllers of six major districts of Punjab through Allocation-2018/1365, it is stated that the stock of wheat in the Rawalpindi district is 19332.771 metric tons which is gradually decreasing and the existing stock is available in Rawalpindi. It is very inadequate to meet the needs of flour mills, which has increased the chances of a severe flour crisis in Rawalpindi, the letter added.

In the letter, it was requested that the supply of wheat should be ensured on an emergency basis to meet the required requirements of flour in Rawalpindi District. When contacted with Raza Ahmad Shah, former vice chairman of Pakistan Flour Mills Association Punjab, in this regard, he confirmed that despite the issuance of wheat supply contracts, the contractors have limited the supply of the wheat after diesel prices increased.

Moreover, the government is not importing wheat itself, and the private sector is not allowed to import wheat. Since Rawalpindi is a non-productive wheat district, the provincial government has shifted the district to Bahawalnagar district, he said, adding that four of the 120 flour mills in Rawalpindi district have already shut down.

On the other hand, the remaining mills are also getting only 200 to 220 sacks per day which are enough for only two hours of threshing in any mill whereas, in order to supply sufficient flour in the district, it is necessary for one mill to thresh 18 hours daily.

Raza Ahmad Shah said that at present, wheat is only available with stockists where its rate has reached Rs. 2200 per quintal. If wheat is provided to the mills at the same price, the price of a 20 kg per bag of flour will reach Rs 1,200, he maintained.

At present, the government should import 2 to 2.5 million tonnes of wheat and allow the private sector to import 1.5 to 2 million tonnes of wheat to overcome the crises, Ahmed asserted.

He warned that if wheat was not available to the mills from the open market or the government did not increase the quota of flour mills, a severe flour crisis could erupt in Rawalpindi after Eid-ul-Azha.