LAHORE, June 14: The federal government on Tuesday intervened to stop ‘aggressive buying’ of wheat by the Punjab Food Department and asked it to ensure ‘free flow of the

grain.’ District officials of the department asked on Tuesday to ensure that no wheat was purchased from any carrier of the crop without his free will.

The department may also now be withdrawing legal proceedings that it initiated against ‘unauthorised traders’ during the last few days.

Sources say the federal government is committed to international financial institutions and donors to limit role of official agencies in the wheat trade and liberalize it thoroughly.

A couple of officials who did not want to be identified said the fresh directive could backfire. The government, according to them, was holding some four million tons of wheat besides considering an import of 1.5 million tons to keep the flour price under check.

“Going by a statement of the prime minister’s adviser Salman Shah that strategic stocks of two million tons only will be maintained in future, it will not be difficult for the private sector to outmanoeuvre the food departments and fleece consumers,” they warned.