LARKANA: The Sindh Balochistan Rice Millers and Traders Association has expressed its anguish and dismay over continued raids on warehouses of their members in the two provinces despite its protest. It also strongly condemned harassment and “coercive procurement of privately purchased wheat stocks” from rice mills.
It urged the Sindh chief minister to immediately intervene and protect its members’ legitimate businesses.
In a statement issued here on Friday, the association’s general secretary Asad Tunio explained rice millers’ relationship with growers, saying that the millers used to provide them seeds, fertilisers, financial assistance and other agricultural inputs throughout the farming cycle.
He noted that during this year’s wheat season, the food department could not timely achieve the procure target and, subsequently, rice millers purchased the commodity with their own capital from growers and other stakeholders. The stocks were stored it in the mills and warehouses as part of their legitimate business activity, the association said.
Condemn raids on warehouses to seize stocks in drive against hoarders
However, when concern arose over wheat shortage in market, the authorities started targeting rice mills, instead of engaging with the stakeholders.
Mr Tunio said that the association, which represented 2,500 rice mills in Sindh and Balochistan, had been expressing its serious concern over the raids, forced entry into mill premises, breaking of doors, harassment and attempts to forcibly take privately purchased wheat stocks.
The association also raised its serious concern regarding continued concentration of wheat procurement and storage responsibilities within the food department.
The statement demanded accountability of food department amid allegations of corruption instead of entrusting it with the custody and management of the province’s wheat stocks.
It also called for a transparent mechanism through which approved rice mills could purchase, store and maintain designated quantities of wheat as “strategic reserves”.
It demanded immediate cessation of harassment, raids and coercive procurement.
“If the policy of harassment, raids, forced procurement and disregard for legitimate private investment continues, rice millers will find it increasingly difficult to operate their mills with confidence,” the association said.
Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2026