June 11, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 06, 1429

KARACHI, June 10: The Pakistan Flour Mills Association has said that flour mills are unable to cater to the demand of millions of citizens as there is an ‘unnecessary and illegal’ ban imposed on wheat movement from the interior of Sindh and other parts of the country to Karachi.

In a letter sent to the authorities, PFMA chairman Iqbal Dawood Pakwala said that 60 flour mills in the city could not feed a population of 20 million citizens with a daily quota of 600 bags of wheat.

Expressing his concern that flour mills were passing through the worst ever crisis due to a ban on the supply of wheat from private sources, he said if the situation remained unchanged all the 60 flour mills in the city would close.

The association urged the government to ensure timely import of 2.5 million tons of wheat to overcome the shortage. It asked the government to immediately seal borders to stop the smuggling of wheat and withdraw the ban on its movement within the country to ensure wheat supply to flour mills in Karachi.—APP/PPI