May 14, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1429

RAWALPINDI, May 13: Punjab Food Minister Malik Nadeem Kamran has issued instructions to the district food department to increase the daily quota of flourmills in Rawalpindi and Islamabad in order to overcome the shortage of wheat flour.

The minister issued the instructions during a meeting with the administration to review the wheat situation held at the Punjab House on Tuesday.

The minister on the occasion said that the government was importing 2.5 million tons of wheat to meet any shortage and that it would have to double the import if the hoarders continued to create artificial shortage.

“There will be no increase in the price of wheat and hoarders not allowed to indulge in the activities harming the interests of consumers,” he said.

The minister said the promise to supply one million tons of wheat to NWFP would be fully honoured. A food department official said the supply of wheat to the NWFP had already commenced. The NWFP will receive 750,000 tons of wheat and 250,000 tons of wheat flour. Also, Punjab will supply 300,000 tons of wheat or wheat flour to Balochistan.

Malik Kamran said the procurement drive of wheat continues throughout the province and the target had been increased to three million tons from two million. So far two million tons have already been procured, he said.

The minister said borders of Punjab had been sealed to check smuggling of wheat. Any person who provides information about a hoarder will get a reward of 10 per cent of the confiscated wheat, he announced.

He also warned a stern action against the food department officials involved in smuggling or hoarding of wheat and atta.

The food department issues 3,000 to 3,200 tons of wheat on a daily basis to all the 85 flour mills in the twin cities, an official of the department told Dawn. The quota will be increased as soon as the official orders are received, he added.

Punjab Chief Minister Dost Mohammad Khosa has mobilised all resources to stabilise the supply of wheat flour throughout the province, the official said, adding that the CM has given a special task to provincial food minister to keep a “falcon’s eye” on the situation.

The official said that smuggling of wheat and atta was the mother of all evils and causing occasional shortage of wheat flour in the market. He explained that the quota of flourmills had been fixed on the basis of the population of the twin cities.