The federal government and Punjab government’s feud over the provision of wheat has been settled as the centre agreed to provide the province with 500,000 tonnes of wheat, Punjab Food Ministry sources disclosed on Saturday. The provision would result in lower prices of wheat across the province, food minister sources said. According to sources, the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz-led (PML-N) federal government has settled its feud with the Punjab government over wheat provision, agreeing to provide 500,000 tonnes of wheat to the province on an urgent basis. Food Ministry sources told that wheat prices have come down from Rs3800 to Rs3300, and would drop further to Rs3000 in the coming week.

The Federal government’s decision to provide Punjab wheat would discourage hoarders in Sindh, they added. Flour mill owners would also lower prices as the smooth supply of wheat is restored and hoarding halts, the food ministry claims. Earlier on September 13, Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that the federal government is ‘behaving like a stepmother’ toward the Punjab government, especially on the wheat provision matter. Chief Minister Elahi, in a session on September 13, ordered to register an official protest against the federal government for the ill-provision of wheat to the most populous province of the country.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP