Stakeholders blame each other for 'flour crises'.

Byline: Iqtidar Gilani

LAHORE -- With ongoing flour crises unnerving political leadership and civil administration, stakeholders continued blaming each other for the prevailing scenario.

As chakki owners announced selling essential commodity at Rs70 per kilogram due to increase in prices of wheat, Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) absolved itself from the responsibility, saying it was all due to mismanagement of the Punjab government.

Naan Bai Association has threatened to increase the price of a 'rooti' from Rs6 to Rs10 and a 'naan' from Rs12 to Rs 15.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, PFMA Central President Asim Raza Ahmad claimed that there was no shortage of wheat and millers were selling flour at the government approved rates.

Millers sent 13,580 flour bags in market in one day

Flanked by office bearers of PFMA, he said that millers have no connection with increase in flour prices by chakki owners. He claimed that hue and cry about flour shortage was unjustified as the situation was entirely opposite. 'Millers sent 13,580 flour bags in the market in one day and out of these 5,551 were returned', Asim Raza said, adding, reasons of flour shortage in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Sindh and Balochistan was suspension of flour and wheat supply to these provinces. He said the Punjab government has stopped supply of flour to KP.

He disclosed that 25,700 tons of wheat was being released in Punjab daily while the millers were sending 700,000 flour bags in the market. 'The flour millers are selling flour at Rs39 per kilograms after buying wheat at Rs34 per kilogram. Chakki owners are claiming Rs23 grinding charges per kilogram,' he said, adding, there was no flour crisis, but the people sitting in the power corridors were responsible for the mess. He said the government was responsible for fixing ex-mill rate and the millers were providing flour at Rs783 per 20 kilograms ex-mill. 'The...