DADU, March 14: Flour crisis has intensified in Dadu and Jamshoro districts due to shortage of wheat as food officials reportedly shifted 11,000 wheat bags to Karachi and Hyderabad.

Wheat is cultivated in some parts of Johi Taluka but food officials neither showed procurement nor provided bardana to abadgars. The flour and chakkis remained closed in Dadu, Phulji, Sita Road, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Sehwan, Mehar and Johi due to wheat shortage. The Flour Mills Association and Atta Chakkis Association protested in Dadu on Friday.

Later, Secretary Flour Mills Association Dadu Chapter, Sikandar Hussain Lakhair said food officials of Hyderabad were responsible for flour crises in Dadu and Jamshoro districts. He said out of 15,000 bags stored in the godowns of Dadu and Jamshoro districts 11,000 bags were shifted to Hyderabad and Karachi.

He said due to irregular supply of wheat, flour mills and chakkis were closed hence creating shortage of flour and rise in prices from Rs18 to Rs25.

Press Secretary of the Association Irfan Shaikh alleged the government rate for 100kg bag was Rs1,200 but food officials of Dadu sold it through contractor, for Karachi and Hyderabad at Rs1,800.

He said officials of Food Department after selling local wheat in open market of Karachi and Hyderabad were trying to bring here imported low quality wheat. He demanded an enquiry by NAB into the shifting of wheat from Dadu and Jamshoro districts.

When contacted, DFC Dadu Rafique Ahmed Shahani said he shifted 11,000 wheat bags to Hyderabad on directives of Deputy Director Food Hyderabad and added that 3,000 bags of imported wheat will reach Dadu soon.

Our Hyderabad bureau adds: The Hyderabad district government has procured 100,000 wheat bags from the Gwadar Port to meet flour shortage. The commodity will start reaching Hyderabad within two days and would be enough to meet next two and half weeks’ requirement.

According to the district government spokesman the main reason of wheat shortage was delayed maturity and harvest of crop. He said there was no flour shortage here as 37,470 wheat bags had been supplied to flour mills and chakkis in the week and another 14,000 to be supplied by Saturday (March 15).

The Food Department Hyderabad procured 10,000 wheat bags from Dadu, 8,000 from Thatta and 10,000 from Tando Allahyar district, he said.

He said usually new crop was harvested and brought to market by March 10 but this year it had been delayed and expected to reach by April 10.

The District Nazim Hyderabad Kanwar Naveed Jamil directed the judicial magistrates to pay surprise visits to roller flour mills, chakkis and kiryana stores to ensure no wheat flour was being hoarded and take legal action wherever necessary.