Those who hoard wheat and profit from it will face severe punishment: PM Prime Minister announced that the price of wheat flour had fallen by Rs. 1,000 per 40-kilogram bag as a result of actions taken by the government.
ISLAMABAD: The prime minister Shehbaz Sharif declared on Wednesday that no one would be permitted to engage in unfair profiteering by inducing a false shortage of the crop because the nation has enough supplies of wheat.
In order to enhance governance in this area, he encouraged the provinces to ensure timely supply of wheat to flour mills from both their own and PASSCO’s (Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation) reserves.
The artificial shortage of wheat, hoarding, and unfair profiteering were the topics of a high-level meeting that the prime minister presided over.
Minister for Food Security Tariq Bashir Cheema, PM Adviser Ahad Cheema, key officials, and provincial chief secretaries attended the conference to examine the country’s wheat supply and position at the time.
The price of wheat flour has dropped by about Rs 1,000 per 40kg bag over the previous five days thanks to government measures, the prime minister claimed, which was a sign of good things to come.
He asked the relevant federal and provincial agencies to take severe action against flour and wheat hoarders, adding that the government will bring those responsible for inflating prices and harming the impoverished masses to justice.
The provinces were instructed to further speed up the flow of wheat from the reserves of PASSCO to flour mills during the conference because the country had ample inventories of the grain.
It was informed that 1.3 million metric tonnes of exported wheat had arrived in the nation and that a second stock of equal volume will follow by the end of January.
The meeting was also informed that by the end of the current season, 1.4 million metric tonnes of carry-forward wheat will be available, which would be sufficient to meet the nation’s food needs before the start of the new season.
The country’s existing wheat reserves were praised by the prime minister, who also gave the provinces instructions on how to tighten oversight of the delivery of wheat and flour.
