Wheat packaging causes losses worth pkr 57bn.

Pakistan is facing annual losses of up to Rs57 billion due to packing of wheat flour in non-laminated bags.

Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) had issued a notification making it implementation of food grade polypropylene laminated sacks mandatory.

However, flour mills continued to flout this notification and packed wheat flour in non-compliance of orders of PSQA.

In this regard, Pakistan polypropylene woven sack manufacturers have written a complaint to the Ministry of Industries and the prime minister that the country is losing 3-4 percent wheat flour annually due to packing in non-laminated bags.

The letter highlighted that despite high prices of wheat flour in the country between 3-5 percent of it is wasted during handling as the flour leaks through the low quality woven bags.

The manufacturers of laminated bags have also referred to a study that up to 0.5 kilograms wheat flour leaks out of 20 kg bags by the time it reaches the end destination.

The wastage accounts between 460,000 and 768,000 tonnes, which amounts to losses worth Rs34.56 to Rs57.60 billion...