Pakistan: Punjab on high alert over acute wheat shortage

Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan’s Punjab authorities have been warned for an acute wheat shortage by flour Mills Association Chairman Asim Raza.

Raza informed that a few days of stock of wheat is left with the private sector and also urged the government to release stocks of wheat immediately, Express Tribune reported.

The price of wheat has crossed Rs 2,150 per maund in the country while the rate of a 20-kilogramme bag of flour reached Rs 1,200 from Rs 1,150, Raza informed while addressing a news conference in Lahore.

“Only a few days wheat stock is left in the private sector. Wheat should be released immediately and distributed evenly,” Raza said.

Earlier in June, Pakistan’s Punjab Food Department issued a notification for tightening its grip on the supply of wheat and its products with a watchful eye on the price of flour, which is a politically sensitive commodity.

In April, it was reported that the Pakistan government has decided to import four million metric tons of wheat this year to meet the domestic consumption requirements.

The authorities have alarmed the shortage of wheat in Punjab earlier in June as well.