LAHORE: Chief Minister’s Special Assistant for Food Safety Salma Butt on Monday inaugurated the modern “Mandi Metro Mart” at Kahna to offer essential food and household items to consumers at wholesale rates.

The special assistant said the project was part of the Punjab government’s efforts to provide relief to the public, particularly low-income households, by regulating the prices of essential food items.

She said the Mandi Metro Mart would be completed within three months and would include 32 dedicated sections.

Ms Butt said the project would enable farmers and primary producers to sell their produce directly at the market, aiming to reduce the role of middlemen and ensure better returns for growers.

She said the Punjab Agriculture Market Regulatory Authority (PAMRA) had digitised the food supply and distribution process, adding that a Food Safety dashboard was being used for round-the-clock monitoring of supply operations.

The special assistant said the Punjab government had started modernising wholesale markets on the pattern of developed countries to help maintain a balance between demand and supply.

Over the past two and a half years, she said, the government had taken measures to ensure the uninterrupted supply of fruits, vegetables, pulses and other essential commodities while keeping prices under control.

Ms Butt said the Mandi Metro Mart would also include a children’s play area and a food court to provide a better shopping environment for visitors.

Food Safety department secretary Dr Kiran Khurshid, PAMRA chairman Ahmed Saeed Malik, PAMRA director-general Zeeshan Ranjha, other officials and members of the business community attended the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2026