Chairman, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take drastic measures for the procurement of wheat in order to prevent wheat floor (Atta) crisis in the province. In a statement here on Saturday, he said that imminent danger of wheat crisis was brewing owing to the negligence of the previous government, adding that corrective and timely efforts were required to save the province from this situation.
He said wheat requirement of the province was approximately 400,000 maunds but the erstwhile government procured only 250,000 maunds, which was shorter than the needs of the province. He said Punjab had procured more stock of the wheat than its requirements.
He resented that if the early steps were not taken the people would greatly suffer in near future, adding the people would run from pillar to post for the flour. QWP Chief contended that if the previous provincial government had ensured the necessary procurement of the wheat in time, it had not only met the demands of the people but also earned valuable worth Rs 5 billion. He said the province was already bearing the burden of Afghan refugees whose basic needs had also been on the shoulder of the province. He called upon the KPK government to utilise the resources for the procurement of the wheat from local, national and international market, adding that in case of non-availability of funds, it should arrange resources from commercial banks.
