Allegations of bribery, inclusion of traders in subsidised wheat policy spark protest threats
HYDERABAD:
Flour prices in Hyderabad have shown no sign of easing despite the Sindh government’s new policy for the release of subsidised wheat, as flour mill owners have refused to lift government stocks over alleged bribery demands by Food Department officials.
According to flour mill owners, officials allegedly demanded bribes ranging from Rs1,000 to Rs1,200 per bag for the release of wheat from government warehouses. In protest, mill owners declined to accept government wheat and instead purchased supplies from the open market at higher prices, passing the burden on to consumers.
As a result, five-kilogram bags of flour continue to sell for up to Rs630 at grocery stores, while some mills are charging as much as Rs650 per bag. Mill owners warn the situation could worsen further.
Meanwhile, traders who obtained government wheat at subsidised rates allegedly began selling it in the open market at inflated prices with the alleged connivance of Food Department officials. The department has, for the first time, included traders alongside flour mills and roller mills in the subsidised wheat scheme, a move strongly opposed by mill owners.
An emergency meeting of the Flour Mill Owners Social Welfare Association, chaired by President Haji Muhammad Memon at the Hyderabad Press Club, demanded the immediate exclusion of traders from the subsidised wheat policy. The association warned that any artificial wheat shortage or flour crisis would be the responsibility of the Sindh Food Department.
Mill owners also criticised the wheat quota fixed by the department, calling it insufficient, and demanded laboratory testing and certification of wheat stored in government warehouses, alleging the stock was unfit for human consumption.
The association further demanded an increase in wheat quotas for flour mills and the supply of clean, quality wheat to ensure price stability and uninterrupted flour supply to the public.
