ISLAMABAD, Jan 17: The countrywide flour crisis has taken a new twist, with mills, which have been complaining about non-availability of wheat, now refusing to lift their full quota from government godowns.

In another development, the Federal Food Committee (FFC) has decided to gradually close down all government flour distribution centres -- a move likely to leave consumers at the mercy of retailers and hoarders.

FFC chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Farooq Ahmed Khan said at a press conference on Thursday that he was under immense pressure to increase the price of flour being sold at Utility Stores in order to reduce the difference between official and open market rates which was the main reason of people thronging the Utility Stores.

He said that for some people saving a few rupees mattered a lot and they could save Rs40 on buying a 20kg flour bag from Utility Stores. He claimed that queues being shown on TV channels were of Utility Stores and indicated that flour shortage still persisted.

The FFC constituted last week has taken a number of measures to overcome the flour crisis. It has increased wheat supply to mills and deployed paramilitary forces along the entire supply chain, including mills and distribution points. The steps were taken to bridge the gap between supply and demand and discourage hoarding.

However, the mills have now resorted to a new tactic and refused to pick their allotted quota from government godowns, upsetting the FFC’s plan to ensure a smooth supply of wheat and flour to the market and consumers.According to Jan 16 figures of the FFC, mills lifted about 4,500 tons less than their daily quota of 36,200 tons on the pretext that their distributors and retailers were unable to find enough customers.

In Sindh, millers on Wednesday lifted only 3,894 tons wheat as against their daily quota of 5,000 tons.

In Balochistan, flour mills could lift only 1,220 tons. The daily provincial quota is 2,000 tons and there is still need for an increase in the quota.

When the flour crisis was at its peak, the millers were blaming lack of supplies for the shortage.

Mills in the NWFP lifted only 3,883 tons against their daily quota of 5,000 tons. Punjab also missed by 775 tons its daily wheat quota of 21,000 tons.

The FFC chairman said that the mills had been asked to utilise their full quota and release flour to distributors and retailers even on credit. He said that not all millers were “black sheep”, but still more cooperation was needed from them to normalise the situation.

The FFC on Wednesday removed a ban on inter-provincial movement of flour and other wheat products. It also decided to invite district nazims from across the country to attend FFC meetings being held in Islamabad twice daily. Retailers may also be invited to the meetings.

“Things are still not under 100 per cent control,” the FFC chairman admitted. But, he said that availability of flour had improved considerably over the past one week.

Mr Farooq said that flour prices varied from area to area in the same city. In Karachi it was selling for Rs17-18.5 per kg in the middle and lower class areas, while its price stood at Rs25.5 in posh areas, like Clifton and Defence.

FLOUR TESTS: Taking notice of sale of substandard flour in the market, the FFC has asked paramilitary forces to collect flour samples from their respective areas and send them to laboratories for quality tests. “Only those laboratories will be selected for tests whose results are acceptable to the All Pakistan Flour Mills Association,” the FFC chairman said.