Balanced wheat policy protecting farmers, consumers: Secy Kiran

LAHORE, Jun 08 (APP): Food Safety and Consumer Protection Punjab Secretary Dr Kiran Khurshid on Monday said that wheat and flour prices in Punjab should be assessed in light of facts and prevailing market conditions.

In a statement, she added that the province continued to offer comparatively lower flour prices while ensuring better returns for farmers. She said wheat was currently being sold in Punjab at Rs3,700 to Rs4,000 per 40 kilograms, whereas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the price had exceeded Rs4,700 per 40 kilograms. Wheat prices in Karachi were also comparable to, or close to, those prevailing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, she added.

Dr Kiran Khurshid said ordinary flour was available in Punjab at Rs99 to Rs110 per kilogram, while fortified flour in five-kilogram packs was being sold at around Rs160 per kilogram. She noted that when the government was providing subsidised wheat at Rs3,000 per 40 kilograms, flour was available at Rs91 per kilogram. Despite a significant increase in wheat prices, the price of flour had risen by only Rs8 to Rs19 per kilogram, she added.

The secretary said the increase in wheat prices in Punjab was the outcome of a policy designed to ensure better compensation for farmers. She added that government pre-qualified aggregators were purchasing wheat from growers at Rs3,500 per 40 kilograms and that the procurement process was continuing across the province to support the farming community.

Dr Kiran Khurshid said flour prices in Punjab remained relatively lower than those in many other parts of the country. She stressed that the government’s balanced policy was protecting the interests of both wheat growers and consumers by enabling farmers to receive improved returns while ensuring the availability of flour to the public at reasonable prices.