KARACHI: Flour mills in Karachi went on a strike on Tuesday for an indefinite period over harassment of some Sindh food department officials who are allegedly demanding money for releasing trucks of wheat arriving from interior Sindh to Karachi.

Retailers in the meantime have started cashing in on the closure of over 80 flour mills in Karachi by demanding Rs10 more on 10kg flour bag.

Till Monday, the price of 10kg fine bag was Rs430 but the retailers raised it to Rs440, while 10kg bag of chakki flour is being sold at Rs500 against Rs490.

Some retailers blamed millers for pushing up flour No 2.5 price to Rs38 from Rs37 per kg before closing down their production.

However, in case flour production in the city remains suspended, retailers would further increase prices and indulge in black-marketing of food item, millers said.

Pakistan Flour Mills Association (Sindh Zone) Chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yousuf claimed that all mills in Karachi grinded 140,000 wheat bags of 100kg each on Sunday and Monday, thus ensuring maximum flour supply to the city in the last two days before going on an indefinite strike.

The mills are protesting over harassment by officials of the Food Department who are seeking bribes at check-posts in the interior.

Yousuf said that consumers would feel the pinch in the next two to three days in case the strike prolongs.

He said mills have no wheat stocks as brokers and traders have suspended grain transportation operation from producing areas to the mills in Karachi for the last four days.

He pointed out that only three mills out of 85 mills continued their operation on Tuesday which the PFMA chief claimed was not association’s member. However, production of flour by three mills is insufficient to cope with the demand of the mega city where 85 mills grind 200,000-210,000 wheat bags per month.

He said that the food minister was an honest person but some officials were trying to create a mess.

The PFMA chief said that no food department official had so far contacted the association for any meeting.

“We demand bribe-free movement of wheat from producing areas to Karachi,” he said, adding that the association was already strictly monitoring that no mill exceeds the wheat stock quota of 10,000 bags.

Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association (KWGA) Chairman Anis Majeed said that the wholesale market has one or two days stocks of flour, but the impact of the strike may be visible in the next few days if strike is extended. He, however, said that the demand of flour usually remains quite slow in the summer.

Karachi Retail Grocers Group General Secretary Farid Qureishi said many retailers have two to three days stocks of flour varieties at their shops, but it would definitely drain out in case mills continue their strike.

He urged the Sindh Food Minister to accept the genuine demands of the millers to avert any flour crisis in the city.