LAHORE, July 5: The first ship carrying 50,000 metric tons of wheat ordered by the government will arrive at the Karachi Port on July 22. Another vessel with the same quantity of the commodity is also due by end of this month.

According to officials of the Punjab Food Department, the supply situation would improve further in August when four wheat shipments would reach the Karachi Port, one each every week.

They claimed that the arrival of 100,000 tons of wheat this month would not only boost to the country’s stocks but also ease domestic price, which has started soaring because of speculative pressure.

Currently, the department is not releasing wheat to the millers but hoarders and stockists have been playing with the wheat price manipulating shortage of official stocks. With the arrival of imported wheat, the hoarders would be forced to sell their stocks, which would stabilise the price.

In another development the Punjab government on Saturday decided to extend supply of flour to the NWFP and Balochistan following the directives of the prime minister. The earlier fixed quota of flour for the both provinces was about to expire.

In a meeting between the flour millers and the secretary food Punjab, it was decided that the millers would continue supplying 5,000 tons of flour to the NWFP and 1,500 tons to Balochistan. The millers have been supplying flour to both provinces for the last two months and their allocation was about to expire, which has now been renewed without any new target.

The meeting also decided that the millers would maintain the current level of retail price at Rs380 per 20Kg and would hold another meeting with the department by the end of July to review the situation.

The Punjab food department also plans to start releasing wheat by the start of September and it would keep a vigilant eye on the market.