QUETTA: Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Chairman Badruddin Kakar has expressed serious concern over the restriction on the movement of wheat and flour imposed by the Punjab government and said if the decision was not withdrawn, Balochistan would face food crisis in coming days.
Speaking at a press conference along with Haji Abdul Waheed Bareech and Syed Nasir Agha on Tuesday, the PFMA chairman said that with the ban on the movement of wheat and flour, the price of a 20kg bag has increased by Rs800. He said wheat is one of Pakistan’s essential food commodities, with Punjab being the country’s largest producer. This year, he added, the total wheat production in the country reached around 28 million metric tonnes, of which 77pc came from Punjab.
He added that in earlier meetings with the government, assurances had been given that wheat prices would not be fixed and that there would be no restrictions on inter-provincial movement.
However, he added, following recent rains and floods, the Punjab government in August 2025 imposed a ban and set up checkpoints at provincial borders.
“These checkpoints have become hubs of bribery and extortion,” Mr Kakar alleged.
Mr Kakar noted that Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa being low-production provinces rely heavily on wheat supplies from Punjab.
Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2025
