RAHIM YAR KHAN: A flour mills was fined Rs5m on charges of mixing poor quality rice meant for animal feed in wheat flour.

The leased mills is being run by the son of a former president of Rahim Yar Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RYKCCI) and a prominent baker of the city.

According to an official letter dated Sept 15, Al-Qayyum Flour and General Mills was issued a show-cause notice for violation of the Punjab Food Grains Licencing Control Order, 1957 (amended upto date) and The Punjab Foodstuff Control Act, 1958, and whereas, the flour mills management submitted a reply to the show cause and attended the personal hearing.

“And whereas,the reply of the flour mills to show cause notice was examined and the verbal arguments of the mills management were heard, the mills representative could not defend the allegations levelled in the notice. Therefore, I, Syed Niaz Ali Shah, District Food Controller, Rahim Yar Khan, being the licencing authority under the Punjab Food Grains Licensing Control Order, 1957 (amended upto date), hereby impose a fine of Rs5,000,000 upon M/s Al-QayyumFlour and GeneralMills, Rahim Yar Khan. The foodgrains licence of the four mills will be restored after deposit of imposed fine into government treasury. The flour mills is also strictly warned to remain careful as there are also complaints that some other flour mills were involved in the practice of rice mixing in wheat flour,” he said.

DFC Syed Niaz Ali Shah told Dawn that his staff had collected flour samples from 17 different mills in the district and the food department will take strict action against the violators of the Punjab Food Stuff Control Act 1958.

RICE: According to DFC, this is the third grade variety of tota available in powdered form in south Punjab and Sindh. People use it out of poverty. It is available for Rs70 to Rs120 a kilo.

He said the bulk purchasers get it in Rs50 a kilo. He said since it is in powdered form, it is not fit for human consumption.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2026