ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Food Security and Research Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar on Monday issued directives for immediate release of 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Sindh from Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) stocks.

In a statement, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research said that there is no issue with the wheat stocks released from Passco to provincial food departments of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The minister also formulated a committee comprising representatives from Passco, provincial food departments and Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA). The committee would be chaired by Secretary Food Security Muhammad Hashim Popalzai to ensure smooth and timely distribution of wheat to the two provinces.

The meeting was attended by food secretaries of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, representatives of Punjab food department, PASSCO managing director, senior officials of the ministry and PFMA.

The meeting focused on the availability of wheat in the country and its pricing trends, releases of wheat from Passco and its financial implications.

Passco and Sindh government are also finalising a deal to be signed during next few days for the release of 300,000 tonnes of wheat to the province.

During the meeting, issues of PFMA including delayed release of wheat, transportation costs and distribution of wheat stock among flour mills of Sindh were also heard. It was unanimously agreed that PFMA will deliver wheat flour at ex-mill price of Rs43 per kilogramme in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2019