SWABI, June 10: Intense competition between grain dealers and flourmill owners has increased wheat price in the district since the thrashing season was over lately.

Dawn learned during a visit to the local grain market on Monday that the price of 50 kilogrammes wheat bag had jumped to Rs1,600 from Rs1,300 during the early days of thrashing.

Sher Khan, a grain dealer from Maneri Bala area, said mill owners and dealers had been in competition since the early days of wheat harvesting.

“They (mill owners) consider themselves big dealers and therefore always try to beat us in the market. They store grain more than what they need every year,” he said.

The dealer alleged that mill owners smuggled wheat and its flour to Afghanistan creating their shortage in the province.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government should step in and check wheat and flour smuggling, which troubles the people of the province a lot by causing shortage of the two commodities,” he said.

Sher Khan said the people stored wheat in large quantities fearing shortage.

According to him, whenever Khyber Pakhtunkhwa faced wheat and flour shortage in the past, Punjab banned movement of the two commodities out of its areas.

Driver Mazar Ali said the Punjab ban on wheat and flour movement brought misery to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“During the days of ban, vehicles are checked for wheat and flour at exit point of Punjab,” he said.

Qaisar Khan of Swabi city complained flour produced in the province was of lower quality compared with that coming in from Punjab.

“I still remember the days when we had to purchase and use flour of low quality after Punjab stopped wheat and flour supply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

On the other hand, mill owners said when they procured wheat in sufficient quantities in the post-harvesting season, they stayed relaxed for the rest of the year.

They said wheat procurement also helped them draw better profits.

“We always instruct our relevant staff to remain in contact with big farmers for wheat procurement,” said a mill owner.

He said there was a intense competition among mill owners, so they did everything to secure big quantities of wheat.

Zahid Ali Shah, a wheat dealer from Topi, said big growers waited until mill owners or dealers offered them the highest price for grains.

The people demanded that the government check wheat storage by big dealers and control its price.