KASUR: Pattoki is facing a flour shortage and the four mills working in the tehsil are unable to meet the requirement of the population of over one million.

The situation is being exploited by the traders who are supplying flour only to the shopkeepers of the industrial hub in Phoolnagar in the black market while the retailers of other areas are being ignored.

The Pakistan Kisan Board alleged that the government had procured wheat at Rs1,800 per 40kg from the farmers while the stockists at the helm were selling it at Rs2,200 per 40kg in the open market, creating hardship for ordinary man to purchase wheat and get flour.

There are over 150 industrial units in the Phoolnagar area of tehsil Pattoki along the Multan Road where thousands of workers coming from far-off areas are working and they depend on the flour supplied by the mills. Most of the people in the rural area store wheat for the whole year.

There are seven mills in Pattoki out of which three that were given no quota of wheat as they work only during the season while four mills work throughout the year and ensure the supply of flour to the population of Pattoki. These four mills provide 2,700 bags of 20kg each on a daily basis while the tehsil population needed about 3,500 bags on a daily basis. The dealers exploit the situation and the rate of flour of a 20kg bag goes up to Rs1,000 in the black market.

The traders, including Muhammad Usman and Abdul Hafeez Shahid, said that some dealers were exploiting the retailers and selling flour in black market. They also said the tehsil administration was not taking any action despite the repeated complaints registered with it.

Pattoki Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Asif Dogarsaid the tehsil administration had faced problems for some days when flour supply started last week but the situation was completely under control now. He said the supply was smooth and flour was available at all the shops in the tehsil.

The AC denied the existence of any black market.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2020