Flour Mills Across Pakistan Urge Govt to Allow Wheat Imports and Export of Wheat Products

Lahore: Flour mills from all four provinces have urged the federal government to immediately allow the private sector to import wheat and permit the export of Pakistan’s wheat-based products worldwide.

The demand was made during a major meeting of the Flour Mills Associations in Lahore, where representatives from over 2,000 mills discussed the prevailing wheat and flour supply situation.

Naeem Butt of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Flour Mills Association stressed that Punjab’s ban on inter-provincial transportation of wheat violates the Constitution and called on the federal government to lift restrictions by approving imports.

Sindh Flour Mills Association leader Aamir Abdullah supported the government’s decision to import wheat in 2024, stating that without it, Karachi’s mills would have faced severe shortages. Another Sindh representative, Haji Muhammad Yousuf, highlighted the existing shortfall and said imports are unavoidable to prevent a looming crisis.

Central Chairman Badruddin Kakar warned that Punjab’s restrictions on wheat and flour supply to other provinces are creating a food security risk, adding that the only immediate solution to avert a flour crisis in the coming months is urgent wheat imports. He also questioned the accuracy of official crop and production data provided by federal and provincial bodies.

Punjab Flour Mills Association leader Asim Raza supported imports but also suggested that the Punjab government should consider procuring wheat from PASSCO. He added that food department raids in Punjab were disrupting market supply chains.