PESHAWAR:
In response to the ban imposed by Punjab on the inter-provincial supply of flour and wheat, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to launch government-regulated flour across the province, officials said on Tuesday.
The initiative aims to stabilize prices and ensure the availability of the product after an increase in costs caused by interruptions in supply.
Under the plan, wheat will be delivered directly to the province’s flour mills, and the Ministry of Food has issued a detailed code of conduct for both flour mills and flour traders.
The move comes after attempts to restore wheat supply from Punjab failed despite protests from KP authorities, flour mill owners and local bakers.
Under the scheme, a 20-kg bag of government flour will be sold to the public at Rs2,220. Flour mill owners will receive the same bag at Rs2,190. To distinguish between government-regulated flour, the mills will sell it exclusively in green bags.
All Food Green warehouses will be equipped with CCTV cameras to monitor distribution and sales. The District Food Officer or Ration Controller will prepare a list of licensed flour dealers and give it to the appropriate Deputy Commissioner.
Dealers will be asked to display a banner stating: “Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa flour available here at Rs2,220 per 20 kg.”
Flour mills that receive wheat from the Food Department are required to submit daily reports detailing the amount of wheat received and flour produced according to approved conditions.
Failure to comply will render the mills unable to receive additional government wheat. Distribution of state wheat will be done equally among operational flour mills with a valid Food Green license. A comprehensive report will be submitted to the Norwegian Food Directorate through the department’s Deputy Director for Food.
For districts without operational flour mills, the wheat quota will be redistributed to operational mills in adjacent districts in accordance with PFC decisions.
If the district is not covered by these schemes, the Norwegian Food Administration ensures that the quota is transferred from surplus to deficit districts in accordance with allocations from the relevant DFC.
