The Sindh government has been given a deadline of 24 hours by the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) to lift the restrictions on wheat purchases by millers in Karachi.
The Sindh government has been given a deadline of 24 hours by the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) to lift the restrictions on wheat purchases by millers in Karachi. The association threatened to go on a shut-down strike if its demand was not met by Wednesday night.
In a statement made at a press conference on Tuesday, Chaudhry Amir Abdullah, the chairman of the PFMA Sindh Zone, warned that “if free access is not provided to wheat supply from growers in upper Sindh and Punjab by 7pm Wednesday evening, we will go on a shutter-down strike for an indefinite period.”
Despite being a time of year when production is at its highest, in Karachi, the lack of wheat has forced the closure of nearly 70% of flour mills.
There are about 92 flour mills in the city, he said. Abdullah reiterated that until the province reached its procurement goal of 1.4 million tonnes in the current season, the provincial government had prohibited Karachi millers from buying grain.
Millers claimed that hoarders were taking advantage of the situation by purchasing wheat from growers in upper Sindh and then selling it at inflated prices during a flour shortage.
Only Karachi millers, according to Abdullah, were being denied access to the wheat supply. He believed that the provincial government, which began its procurement drive on March 5, could only purchase half of the desired amount in that time. It occurs despite the province producing 4.8 to 4.9 million tonnes of wheat, according to estimates.
The Pakistan Flour Mills Association, which has 915 member flour mills from all over Pakistan, is a legally recognised and registered trade body that represents the flour milling industry.
Originally known as the Punjab Flour Mills Association, this Association was established in 1949. The milling capacity in Pakistan has increased dramatically over the past 60 years. with 19 flour mills as a start. There are currently 915 flour mills operating in Pakistan that are registered with the association.