Supply of flour to market to be halted from Tuesday | Punjab Food Department suspends wheat quota of 100 flour mills | Food secretary says will not be blackmailed by anyone LAHORE - Mills Association has announced to go on strike from Monday (today) halting supplies to the market from February 14, reported a private TV channel on Sunday. In a statement, Punjab Flour Mills Association’s Chairman Iftikhar Ahmad Mattu announced that the millers would not acquire wheat from February 13 and will suspend supply of flour in the markets from February 14. He asked Punjab Food Department to table evidence against mills selling wheat, saying that his association was against such mills that were selling wheat. The association chairman also urged the department to abolish trucking stations and establish sales points at shops for selling flour. A government representative will supervise sale of flour at these shops. The association condemned the actions under the MPO against flour mills, urging the department to inspect mills as per standard operating procedures (SOPs).
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PFMA Punjab chairman Chaudhry Iftikhar Ahmad Mattu said that the provincial food secretary had adopted inappropriate behaviour and wrong policies. Meanwhile, in a sign of a deepening rift between flour mills association and Punjab food secretary, Punjab Food Department has suspended wheat quota of 100 flour mills. Secretary Food Punjab Muhammad Zaman Wattoo said provincial government will not be blackmailed by anyone. He said the data of people was being collected who were instigating others to observe strike and create a shortage of flour in the market. Punjab Food Secretary said no decision had been taken against the millers and that majority of mills had lifted their quota of wheat. However, more than 75 per cent of mills have received their allotted quota and promised to keep their business as usual even after Monday. The association had threatened to go on strike if the Punjab government included flour in the category of essential items, which meant that the defaulting miller would not only be liable to return subsidy amount (only Lahore millers are getting over Rs300 million a day subsidy) but also face criminal proceedings.
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Encouraged by millers’ response, the Punjab government not only stood its ground but also announced that the quota of the striking mills, if any, would be diverted to non-striking ones. “The provincial requirement could easily be met this way and smooth supply would be ensured,” says an official spokesman for the department. The association maintains that putting flour in the category would also mean that trade outside a designated periphery (district or province) would be restricted to 25 maunds and anyone violating it would not only have his commodity confiscated, return subsidy money and also face criminal charges