Controversy surrounding subpar wheat deepens

Express Tribune

24-02-2025

A new development has emerged in the ongoing controversy surrounding subpar wheat in Rawalpindi, revealing that the quantity of substandard wheat is far greater than the initially estimated 30,000 sacks.
Among these are sacks that flour mills had paid for at the official government rate but later refused to accept due to their poor quality. According to sources, these sacks, numbering in the thousands, remain stored in warehouses.
A year ago, the Punjab government transferred this wheat from production districts to food department warehouses in Rawalpindi to meet local demand.
However, local food department officials allegedly adulterated the wheat with sand, soil, and water to increase its weight, severely compromising its quality, they said.
As a result, local flour mills preferred to purchase imported wheat last year instead.
Had the local authorities not tampered with the quality, the wheat could have been sold at high prices last year.
Now, with this year's official wheat price being Rs1,800 per 40kg lower than the previous year, the Punjab government faces massive financial losses, including millions in interest payments.
According to sources, food department staff artificially increased wheat weight by mixing in sand and water, allowing them to report inflated stock levels while selling the excess wheat in the market.
Over the past two years, 3 million wheat sacks were allocated to local mills, each containing an estimated 5 to 8 kg of foreign substances to increase weight.
This led to an estimated 300,000 sacks going missing, valued at more than Rs3 billion.
These allegations are not new. Last year, similar complaints surfaced, prompting the then-Secretary of the Punjab Food Department to launch an inspection.
A team, along with representatives from the flour mills, visited Rawalpindi's warehouses and confirmed the allegations.
Additionally, 40 wheat samples were sent for laboratory testing, all of which were declared substandard.
However, the inquiry was quietly shelved, and no officials were held accountable.
The food department failed to forward the matter to Punjab's Anti-Corruption Department or NAB, instead opting to bury the issue. Sources indicate that the Punjab government is now considering withdrawing from wheat procurement entirely due to persistent corruption within the food department.