The Flour Mills Association announced to end the strike after their meeting with Senior & Food Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan who assured them of allying their concerns on priority basis.
A 10-member delegation of Flour Mills Association headed by Central Chairman Asim Raza and Provincial President Abdul Rauf Mukhtar agreed that flour prices would not increase till Eid-ul-Fitr and the district administration not to raid the flour mills while the Food Department would have access to these mills.
Abdul Aleem Khan said that flour mills would be allowed for 7 days wheat storage instead of 72 hours. He said that permission in this regard was being given but the flour mills would declare their stocks. He telephoned the Chief Secretary Punjab during the meeting and asked him to convey the new instructions up to the division and district level. Abdul Aleem Khan said that this year wheat was being bought but intends to create a new mechanism for the affairs of flour mills for which the concerned stakeholders should be on the same page. He said that for this purpose a joint meeting of the Food Department and Flour Mills Association will be held immediately after Eid.
The Senior Minister clarified that the Government’s job should not be to procure raw materials but to regulate and facilitate flour mills. He said that the Punjab Government spends huge amount on procurement of wheat while storing and re-shifting is another exercise. He added that a new strategy would be worked out for the procurement of wheat and “bar dana” in the coming years. Aleem Khan asked the officials of the Flour Mills Association to formulate their proposals in the light of which the next road map will be designed.
