PESHAWAR: To overcome the flour shortage in the province, the NWFP government has planned to start early transportation of wheat and flour from the Punjab and a summary to this effect has been moved to the NWFP chief minister.

Sources told The News that the food department had forwarded the summary to Food Minister Muhammad Shuja Khan, who will forward it to Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti for approval.

The sources said after taking notice of the wheat shortage, due to which the quota of flourmills was also reduced, NWFP Chief Secretary Sahibzada Riaz Noor had directed the food department to move a summary to the chief minister, so that wheat and flour from the Punjab could be transported to the NWFP forthwith.

They added that the wheat stock in the province was fast running out and the government was hard pressed to transport wheat and flour from the Punjab, as the local crop had not reached the market.

As agreed after long parleys between the NWFP Food Secretary Hifzur Rehman Qazi, his counterpart in the Punjab, and other officials late last month, the Frontier will procure 750,000 tonnes of normal wheat, 90,000 tonnes of substandard wheat and 250,000 tonnes of flour from the Punjab.

The commodity’s scarcity has already forced the food department to reduce flourmills’ quota by 50 percent while some of the districts have not been getting their share in the subsidised wheat for the last one week or so.

Normally, the NWFP stops releasing wheat to flourmills from April 30 and the flour industry arranges the commodity on its own, allowing the province to procure the wheat it requires. But the current crisis has forced it to transport its wheat from the Punjab on an emergency basis, so that it might be released to flourmills when required.

It has also been learnt that the provincial government is preparing a demand for about 13 million tonnes of wheat to meet its requirement and a summary to this effect will soon be submitted to the federal government. A food department official, requesting anonymity, said the department officers were working day and night to continue the supply of wheat to flourmills. He cited the day-night meetings of Food Secretary Hifzur Rehman and Director Abdul Ghafoor Baig with concerned quarters from across the province, and said the entire department was working overtime to help overcome the crisis. Meanwhile, the spiralling flour prices are keeping consumers away from the local flour markets at the Dilazak Road and the Rampura Gate at Ashraf Road.

The 20 kg bag of fine quality flour was selling at Rs 600, while mixed flour was being sold at Rs 560 on Wednesday. The 85 kg bag of fine Danidar flour was priced at Rs 2,900. Similarly, the price of rice continued to rise in the local grain market. The price of the 49 bag of Sella Karnal variety rose by another Rs 900 and it was selling for Rs 5,700 due to which retail might cross the figure of Rs 100 per kg.

Mohmand Agency: Residents of Mohmand Agency have condemned the authorities over the flour crisis in the area. Sources said a tender for flour supply was approved on May 1, but flour was yet to be supplied to the market, thus creating immense problems for consumers.

The crisis adversely affected Ghalanai and Mian Mandi areas and locals demanded of the authorities to release the quota of flour and wheat withheld for over a week.

Parachinar: The smuggling of flour to Afghanistan from the Kurram Agency continued unabated despite a severe shortage of the commodity in the region. Surprisingly, most routes were reportedly barricaded to check the smuggling but gangs of smugglers were successfully transporting the commodity across the border.