KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, after attending a donors’ conference in Geneva, returned on Wednesday morning, held a meeting regarding price control of atta, and directed the food department to ensure Rs95 per kg price in the open market and Rs65 of subsidies atta.
The meeting was attended by Minister Food Mukesh Chawla, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary Food Khurram Shahzad, and Director Food Khurram Shahzad. Minister Food Mukesh Kumar Chawla told the CM that his department was releasing 8000 tons to 12000 tons of wheat daily and added the wheat stocks to meet the province’s wheat requirement till the end of February were available. The chief minister said that if the food department was releasing enough wheat then why was the price not coming under control?
Shah categorically directed the food department to control the atta prices, fix it at Rs95 per kg in the open market, and keep providing subsidised atta at Rs65 per kg. Giving details of the available stocks in the province, the food minister said that over 618,569 tons of wheat were available.
He added that these stocks were enough to meet the province’s requirement till the end of February and from the first week of March new crops would start pouring into the market and the prices would go down automatically. The chief minister directed the chief secretary to further activate district administration in controlling the prices of not only atta but other commodities such as vegetables, fruit, chicken, beef, mutton, eggs, and pulses.