AT a time when the country is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, flour mills mafia has once again become active to exploit the situation in its favour and rob the pockets of poor consumers. Pakistan Flour Mills Association on Friday announced to shoot up the price of wheat flour by Rs 100 to Rs 120 per twenty kilogram in different cities of central Punjab including Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Okara and Sahiwal. Similarly, the price of the commodity has been increased by Rs 50 to Rs 60 per twenty kg bag in the cities of South Punjab. Flour is the major staple food in the country and increasing its price, and that too in a substantial manner, amounts to snatching the loaf of bread from the people. The increase is also not justifiable and it smacks of foul play given the fact that there is sufficient stock of wheat in Punjab. It has been informed that Punjab Government has made historic wheat procurement this year after which it has a total stock of 4.3 million metric tons which is abundant to meet the demand of the province. The very surge in price also suggests that the Punjab Government has no control whatsoever over the prices of essential commodities and the matter has been left at the mercy of mafias. Provision of flour to masses at controlled rates is responsibility of the government which must be discharged. While everybody has appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s courageous step of unveiling the mafia in the sugar industry, action also needs to be started against those in the flour mills without any discrimination. It is important not only to protect the people from price hike but it is also a matter of the credibility of the PTI Government. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar should immediately take notice of the situation and order immediate reversal of the increase in flour price. Given current situation in which food security has assumed greater importance, sufficient steps need to be put in place to avoid the smuggling of wheat to neighbouring Afghanistan.
