Peshawar   -  The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Monday increased the daily supply quota of wheat to flour mills from 4,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes to control the price of flour in the province. 

In this regard, the provincial Food Department has directed all the district food controllers, storage and enforcement officers and rationing controllers to ensure the timely supply of wheat to relevant flour mills in every district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

According to sources in the provincial Food Department, wheat will be supplied to all the districts according to population. Dera Ismail Khan will be provided 231 tonnes, Lower Dir 196, Upper Dir 129, Haripur 137 tonnes, Hangu 71, Lakki Marwat 123, Malakand 98 tonnes, Mansehra 212, Mardan 324, Nowshera 207, Peshawar 591 tonnes and with a quota of 4.2 per cent, the capital city will be provided an extra 173 tonnes on daily basis. 

Similarly, district Swabi would be provided 222 tonnes wheat, Shangla 103, Swat 315, Tank 58, Tor Ghar 23, Karak 96 tonnes, Kohat 152 tonnes, Kohistan 40 tonnes, merged tribal districts Khyber 133 tonnes, Mohmand 63 tonnes, Bajaur 147 tonnes, Kurram 83 tonnes, Orakzai 34 tonnes, North Waziristan 73 tonnes and South Waziristan 91 tonnes. 

According to the sources, flour crisis had arisen in the province due to untimely supply of wheat to flour mills forcing the masses to buy flour at higher prices with a 20kg of flour going up from Rs1400 to Rs1500. 

Pakistan Flour Mills’ Association (PFMA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter General Secretary Haji Iqbal said the provincial government’s supply of wheat to flour mills would end the flour crisis in the province and bring down the prices. 

He said that earlier, the provincial government had increased the wheat quota from 3,000 metric tonns to 4,000 metric tonnes, due to which the price of a 20 kg flour bag has come down from Rs1,500 to Rs1200, whereas the increased supply of 1,000 metric tonnes of wheat would reduce flour prices in the open market.