Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) North Zone has asked the federal government to immediately withdraw Fuel Adjustment Surcharge from electricity bills of the flour milling industry, otherwise millers would be compelled to jack up flour prices.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, PFMA Chairman Abdul Jabbar Chaudhry indicated that if the government did not paid heed to flour millers’ concern prices of 20-kilogram wheat flour bag could jump up to Rs625. He demanded the government not only to withdraw Fuel Adjustment Surcharge but also the General Sales Tax (GST) from flour milling industry as it was producing basic food product for masses.
He warned the government that PFMA would call its Executive committee meeting on April 5, in which flour millers would decide future course of action and the option to call on strike was also under consideration.
PFMA former chairman Asim Raza Ahmad said that the government should provide relief to flour milling industry to ensure easy availability of wheat flour. He said the government had increased wheat support price which would ultimately reflect on flour prices and imposition of fuel adjustment surcharge of flour milling industry would further swell the prices.
The schedule of demanding relief from the government is very interesting as the new crop is about to hit markets in the next couple of weeks. The government had already increase wheat support price by Rs100 that is Rs1,050 per maund and industry experts had indicated that wheat flour price would swell by Rs100 per 20-kilogram bag once the grinding of new crop would start. Flour millers had started paving the way to increase flour prices by pressing the government.
