PESHAWAR: Despite ban on supply of wheat flour to Afghanistan, the Nanbais here still complain about high price of 85kg flour bag, saying they are paying Rs1,200 more for the same. They urged the provincial government to ensure availability of the commodity at a reasonable price in Peshawar markets or allow increase in the roti price.

However, Provincial Minister for Information Shaukat Yousufzai claimed on Sunday that the price of 20kg flour bag had been decreased in the market and thus the restriction on its movement was removed.

“There is complete ban on supply of wheat flour to Afghanistan,” the minister said. He said that the dealers should point out who was taking money from them at Attock Bridge, adding that the chief minister himself wanted to intervene in case if the issue was not resolved.

The flour dealers and Nanbais complained that local flour millers were not supplying wheat flour to them and thus there would be no utility of increasing the quota of mills.

Urge govt to ensure availability of flour in markets

“The government had fixed the price of 130-gram roti at Rs10 some time back when the price of 85kg bag of wheat flour was Rs4,000, but currently the same bag of flour is available at Rs5,200. As such, it is difficult for tandoor owners to follow the price list,” said Khaista Gul, president of Peshawar Nanbais Association, while talking to this correspondent.

He said that Nanbais in Peshawar demanded supply of 10,000 flour bags of 85kg each and the government had promised to fulfil this demand, but the supply was delayed due to sit-in of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam in Islamabad.

He said that flour price was increased due to restriction on its movement from Punjab to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as every truck loaded with wheat flour was charged up to Rs10,000 at Attock bridge by the Punjab Food Department without any reason.

The flour of local mills, he said, had been going to Afghanistan otherwise the commodity’s price would have never increased in Peshawar.

However, Pakistan Flour Mills Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, president Haji Mohammad Iqbal rejected the reports about supply of flour from the local flour mills to Afghanistan and said every mill was providing flour to people in Peshawar.

He said that with increase in the wheat quota the crisis-like situation had been controlled, but the local wholesale dealers preferred flour of mills in Punjab to that of the local ones.

“We can provide 20kg bag of atta at Rs780,” he claimed. He said that the food department officials were regularly monitoring the process of wheat and flour supply and the list of the customers was provided to the government,” Mr Iqbal said.

A local dealer Sadaqat Hussain said that police in different areas were misusing the section 144 on movement of wheat flour from Peshawar, and movement of the commodity was not even allowed inside the city.

He said that the local dealers could not buy flour of the local mills due to its poor quality. The food department officials were not available for comments despite repeated efforts to contact them.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2019