Flour Mills Halt Output in Twin Cities as Wheat Costs Soar and Permits Are Curbed

Overview

• Some mills in Rawalpindi Division and Islamabad have stopped production after a PKR 550 per-bag jump in wheat prices and tightened movement permits.
• The Food Department has refused to subsidise wheat or approve higher flour prices, which mills say makes continued production unviable.
• The Pakistan Flour Mills Association warns distribution could cease, with mills saying they cannot lift LDC wheat or maintain market supplies without policy changes.
• PFMA leaders allege officials are stopping and seizing wheat and flour trucks across Punjab, imposing heavy fines, jailing drivers, and offloading confiscated product at government rates.
• The industry demands price adjustments tied to wheat costs, permit allocations based on mill capacity, and permission to ship flour made from privately purchased wheat to other provinces.