KARACHI, July 7: No official notification (SRO) has been issued as yet to facilitate the import of wheat and flour even after more than a week of the decision taken by the government in this regard. This delay in issuing notification has triggered a spate of rumours that a strong lobby in Punjab is out to obstruct the implementation of government’s decision.

“The aim is to keep Karachi, the biggest flour market in South Asia that is more than 100 miles away from the nearest wheat supply source, perpetually short of wheat supply and maintain a permanent dependence on Punjab,” a leader of Karachi millers confide.

More than 80 per cent of wheat now available in the open market of Karachi comes from Punjab and is being sold at Rs1,150 per 100-kg, a press release of the Karachi Flour Mills Association pointed out on Wednesday.

Unlike Sindh, where the wheat procurement target was achieved easily, the official purchase of wheat in Punjab remained painfully slow and a powerful lobby of traders is reported to have picked up a substantial quantity and stored it.

The millers in Karachi complain that this lobby is now trying to pressurize the government to reverse its decision of wheat and flour import. This lobby, according to the millers, first suggested that only wheat import be allowed with a condition that the import should be according to the specification imported by the TCP last year. The specification given for wheat excludes India explicitly.

Reports suggest that the wheat crop in India this season has not been satisfactory and there are meagre chances of wheat coming from there.

The Karachi Flour Mills Association leaders held a press conference on Wednesday at the Karachi Press Club to express their concern about the delay in implementation of the duty-free import of wheat and flour, which according to them, is putting more than 10 million people of Karachi in difficulties.

Association’s chairman Mian Akbar Ali and vice-chairman Johar Ali Qandhari demanded that there should be no restriction whatsoever on the movement of wheat and all edible items.

In matter of distribution and allocation of wheat from the government stock, Karachi should be given a share that meets all requirements of the local population. They suggested that the government should come out with clear specifications and other details for the import of wheat. “Banks should give financial assistance to the flour mills to import wheat, while the Export Promotion Bureau should explore the market for bakery products,” they demanded.