Pakistan: Flour mills warn of 1.5 million tons wheat shortage in Punjab, calls for immediate government action

The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), Punjab Zone, has estimated a shortfall of 1.5 million tons of wheat in the province, urging the Punjab government to take immediate action to avoid a potential crisis. The PFMA suggested that the wheat could either be procured from the Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Ltd (PASSCO) or imported, depending on the government’s decision. According to PFMA Punjab’s chief, flour mills should be allowed to operate freely in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan and the provincial government’s wheat deregulation policy. He stressed that no restrictions should be placed on the inter-provincial transportation of wheat and flour, citing the significant investments made by flour mills in other provinces such as Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. The PFMA leaders emphasized the need for the government to release wheat to all mills in Punjab at equal levels to maintain uniform flour pricing across the province. They ...