LAHORE: Flour millers of Punjab allege that the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) warehouses have been supplying them with spoiled and water-damaged wheat, a charge denied by Passco.
Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) leader Asim Raza said on Wednesday that laboratory tests and inspections reveal that the supplied wheat contains over 21 per cent moisture, whereas normal wheat standard moisture levels should strictly range between 9-11pc. He said flour millers have raised serious concerns over the issue, stating that they are legally bound to supply flour with a maximum moisture content of 14.5pc. They explained that processing wheat that already contains 21pc moisture produces severely substandard flour.
The mill owners alleged that Passco employees are deliberately despatching wet wheat, which has developed a foul odour and mould, rendering it completely unfit for human consumption.
The millers further highlighted the heavy financial toll of this decision, noting that they purchase wheat from Passco at Rs3,800 per 40kg compared to Rs4,650 in the open market. However, receiving water-damaged wheat causes them an additional financial loss of up to Rs1,100 per bag at official rates.
Millers take on Passco over moisture, transport costs
The PFMA sees “administrative financial corruption” in the process, noting that high-moisture wheat is being supplied despite the absence of recent heavy rainfall or flooding in the region.
However, a senior Passco officer terms the charges “baseless and scandalous, having no reasonable grounds”.
Requesting not to be named, as he was not authorised to speak to the media, he told Dawn that the issue is not the quality of the grain but the controversy over fuel charges paid by the Punjab government to the millers.
“The millers wish to lift the wheat from the point nearest to their flour unit, which we cannot as we have to first exhaust our certain storages under a departmental policy. This leads to escalation of transportation charges for the millers as the authorities are not ready to pay more than the already agreed amount.”
He says that, though his agency has a wheat sale agreement with the Punjab government, not the flour millers, one representative each of the provincial food authority and the flour miller is present during the handover of the specific quantity of wheat to the buyer (miller). He says that the sale deed forms are signed after loading and weighing the consignment at the nearest weigh station and upon the buyer’s satisfaction.
“And after the wheat is lifted by the buyer, the sole responsibility for the quality and quantity of the consignment rests with the buyer.”
Conceding that there had been an over-moisture complaint about Alipur Zone around three weeks ago that was resolved immediately by providing the buyer another consignment, he claims that even that ‘wet’ wheat consignment was later lifted by another buyer after it remained under the sun for a day and its moisture dropped to the normal level.
Punjab Food Director General Amjad Hafeez has also refuted these allegations, stating that the wheat received from Passco was officially inspected and verified. He explained that district food controllers and their assistants test the wheat on-site using digital meters to ensure that only clean, dry grain is passed. According to the director general, digital meter tests showed a moisture level of 8.7pc, well within safe limits.
Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2026
