ISLAMABAD: The private sector has suggested to the ministry of food security to improve the packaging of wheat flour to save wastage during transportation and handling of the commodity.

Most of the flour sold by mills is either filled in jute sacks weighing between 80-100 kilogrammes for bulk buyers or packed in 20kg bags made of cloth and polypropylene - a synthetic material.

However, the polypropylene manufacturers suggested that around 300,000 tons of wheat flour could be saved from going to waste if the quality of the supply material was improved.

“The ministry of food security should ensure that all the mills sold wheat flour in laminated polypropylene bags,” stated a letter written by the Pakistan Polypropylene Woven Sack Manufacturers Association.

The letter sent to the federal government by the chairman of the association, Iskendar Khan, added that even if 1.5 to 2 per cent of the flour was wasted during handling the total national loss would amount to over Rs15 billion.

“The national loss could be up to Rs37 billion if the total flour wastage is three per cent,” Mr Khan said, adding a small amount of flour fizzled off the sacks during loading into trucks at the flour mills. The same process continues till the commodity reaches the consumers.

“Finally, a small amount of flour is left sticking after the commodity is transferred from the sacks either by a retail consumer or by a large buyer such as tandoors,” he said. “Capping the wastage would help reduce the food insecurity in the country in the long run.”

But the argument presented by the polypropylene sack manufacturers failed to convince the federal government bureaucracy.

Officials in the ministry acknowledged that not only the increasing agricultural productivity but also plugging wastage through small steps can enhance food security in the country. But the scope of the working of ministry is limited to wheat only, they added.

“We buy wheat from the open market and sell it to the government agencies only as per the requirements,” said Seerat Asghar, the secretary food security ministry. “Flour mills and the issue of flour are related to the provincial food departments.”

On the other hand, the flour mills too opposed the idea, mainly because it would increase their investments in buying the bags.

“Currently, we are buying 20kg polypropylene bags at around Rs11 each. If we start using the one-sided lamented polypropylene bags, the cost would increase by Rs6 each bag,” said Mohammad Nadeem Butt, the chairman of the All Pakistan Flour Mills Association.

He added that at the same time the increased cost would have to be borne by the consumers.

“We do not want to overburden the consumers,” Mr Butt said. He also criticised the polypropylene manufacturers for trying to trap them into buying an upgraded product.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2014