Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has strongly criticised government’s decision to increase wheat support price from Rs950 to Rs1,050 per maund. PFMA has warned government that if Rs100 increase is not withdrawn, flour millers will be compelled to launch countrywide strike. Addressing a news conference former PFMA Chairman Asim Raza Ahmad said instead of controlling fertiliser prices, government had increased flour price that would only inflate flour prices in urban centres and hurt flour milling industry. He pointed out that profiteers were minting money, around Rs700 to Rs800 per bag, through fertiliser black-marketing but nobody was stopping their hand. He indicated that the country already had wheat stocks of around 10 million, of which 5.5 million is surplus from domestic need. He said Punjab Food Department had around 4.6 million tonnes, Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Supplies Corporation (PASSCO) had 2.5 million tonnes, Sindh Food Department had 1.5 million tonnes, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa held 0.25 million tonnes while private sector was holding 1.5 million tonnes. Asim said government had made a similar mistake in the past when it increased wheat support price from Rs600 to Rs950 per maund. Though famers got relief from the government decision but it forced urban masses to buy expensive flour and negatively affected local flour milling industry. Local wheat products had already become uncompetitive in international market, further price increase would ultimately stop wheat products exports from Pakistan, he underlined. He stressed that it was really unfortunate that Pakistan had surplus wheat stocks but it could not export due to high price in the country. He pointed out that many countries were offering wheat to Pakistan at $230-$260 per tonne at Karachi port, but by increasing prices government was compelling masses to buy wheat and its products at exorbitant rates. He urged government to immediately withdraw its decision; otherwise flour millers would announce a countrywide protest. He further stated that government should control fertiliser prices to reduce prices of all grains. Responding to a question, Asim estimated that Rs100 increase in wheat support price would increase 20-kilogram flour bag price by Rs80 to Rs90 per bag.