LAHORE, July 6: The Punjab Food Department may soon impose a ban on flour movement to the NWFP and Balochistan as both the provinces will be getting wheat for their own consumption from local resources and imported crop.

Official sources said on Tuesday the NWFP and Passco have finalized a deal for providing wheat to the former and process of lifting wheat would start in a week's time. According to them, there was no need to continue sending flour to the NWFP. Same was the case with Balochistan. It would soon be getting wheat from the Punjab, they added.

"As the provinces got the commodity, the Punjab will impose ban on flour transportation," he said. He said imported wheat would also be available by August and provinces would be able to meet their flour requirement with it.

He said 6,000 tons of flour was being sent to the NWFP and Balochistan daily by the millers from the Punjab which has created problem for the Punjab itself. "Price increase in the province in recent days is due to drying up of wheat market," he added.

On the other hand, the officials of the food department categorically denied any possibility of lifting inter-district ban on wheat movement. The attitude of the millers was not justified about inter-district ban.

"The Punjab government cannot ignore its food requirement and would not let anyone to destabilize wheat market," he stated. Meanwhile, Bilal Sufi, an office-bearer of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association, claimed that the provincial food minister had assured them about lifting of inter-district ban on wheat movement.

Since there was no logic in imposing ban on flour transportation to the NWFP and Balochistan, it should be lifted. He was of the view that the food department would not dare any action against flour millers.

The Punjab food department, in the meantime, procured 2.44 million tons of wheat till Monday. Sources said the campaign of the department was nearing end and the department might not be able to procure 2.5 million tons of wheat.

Sources said the department would have to depend on imported wheat for meeting its requirements and the country might soon be placing order for additional import.