SUKKUR, July 12 The city of Sukkur and adjoining areas have started to feel the pinch of wheat flour crisis due to strike of the flour mills. The strike call was given by the All Pakistan Flourmills Association.

The wholesale dealers have also increased price of 40 kilogram bag of wheat flour by Rs30, while retailers were charging Rs32 extra per bag, thus overburdening the consumers.

The flour mills of Sukkur district remained close on fourth consecutive day on Monday in response to strike call given by the All Pakistan Flourmills Association.

According to sources, a wheat flour stock for one day was available in the godowns and, if the strike continued for another couple of days, the crisis could further worsen. On the other hand, hundreds of daily wage employees of flourmills were facing problems due to closure of the mills.

According to Chairman of the All Pakistan Flourmills Association, Iqbal Dawood Pakwala, the government has taken notice of flour mills strike and the federal Minister for Food Nazar Mohammad Gondal had invited them for negotiation in Islamabad on July 13.

He said that he, along with chairmen of flourmills associations of all the four provinces and members of the central executive committee, would meet the federal minister and submit their demands, adding that, if their demands were not met, the flourmills would continue their strike.

He said that 1,080 flourmills out of 1,230 operating in the country have stopped wheat grinding. He warned that if the government did not give a positive response the options for indefinite strike was open.