Flour millers assure Punjab Food Minister Aleem Khan of ending strike

LAHORE (92 News) – A 10-member delegation of the Flour Mills Association called on Senior and Food Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan and announced to end the strike on assurance that their concerns would be redressed. Flour Mills Association central chairman Asim Raza and provincial president Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, who headed the delegation, agreed that flour prices would not increase till Eidul Fitr and the district administration would not raid the flour mills. Senior & Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that flour mills would be allowed for seven days wheat storage instead of 72 hours. He said that permission in this regard was being given but the flour mills would declare their stocks. He telephoned the Punjab chief secretary during the meeting and asked him to convey the new instructions up to the division and district level. Abdul Aleem Khan said that this year wheat was being bought but intends to create a new mechanism for the affairs of flour mills for which the concerned stakeholders should be on the same page. He said that for this purpose, a joint meeting of the Food Department and Flour Mills Association will be held immediately after Eid. The minister clarified that the government’s job should not be to procure raw materials but to regulate and facilitate flour mills. He said that the Punjab government spends a huge amount on procurement of wheat while storing and re-shifting is another exercise. He added that a new strategy would be worked out for the procurement of wheat and gunny bags in the coming years. Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan asked the officials of the Flour Mills Association to formulate their proposals in the light of which the next road map will be designed. The meeting decided that after Eid flour mills of KPK will also be given wheat but KPK Food Department would by wheat in Punjab in collaboration with the Punjab government. Flour Mills Association central chairman Asim Raza, provincial president Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, Mian Nadeem Nisar, Iftikhar Muttoo and Khurram Shehzad informed about the problems of flour mills in different districts. Liaquat Ali Khan, Mian Riaz, Hafiz Ahmed, Farrukh Shehzad and Mian Naseem said that the situation has worsened in Sargodha, Multan, Gujrat and Kasur districts where flour mills do not have wheat for threshing.