The flour millers have again threatened to stop the wheat flour supply for Punjab government’s Sasti Roti Scheme, which has been squeezed to a few mechanical Tandoors and Dastarkhwans.
The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) sources said that after receiving a partial payment from the provincial government, the flour millers had restored wheat flour supply to the designated Tandoors and Dastarkhwans but this arrangement was temporarily made for the holy month of Muharam. If the government did not clear the outstanding payment of over Rs 10 million, the millers would be compelled to stop the wheat flour supply after Ashura holidays, the sources added.
Speaking to Pakistan Today, former PFMA chairman Asim Raza Ahmad said that the PFMA members had Rs 32 million outstanding flour supply bills pending with the government for the last three to four months. He said that earlier, about 16 flour mills were supplying wheat flour for the Sasti Roti Scheme, however due to the cumbersome procedures and delayed payments most mills have discontinued the flour supply.
He said that the delayed payments by the government had created a cash flow problem for the flour milling industry, consequently only six mills were maintaining flour supply for the Punjab government’s Sasti Roti Scheme. He said that though the government had made partial payment of Rs 23.6 million to the flour millers, still over Rs 10 million were pending.
He revealed that despite many assurances by the provincial and district governments, the millers did not get any relief in clearance of their outstanding bills, adding that some mills had not been paid since January.
The flour millers had decided on Monday to curtail the wheat flour supply for the Sasti Roti Scheme to avoid further liquidity problems. Currently, 16 mechanical Tandoors and 112 Dastarkhwans were operational in different parts of the province.
