A probe into government wheat supplies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has concluded that floodwater spoiled stock held at the Adazai Khail depot in Nowshera, leaving the grain unfit for people to eat. The findings appear in a report handed to the provincial governor.
Laboratory testing supported that conclusion. The report recommends disciplinary action against officials whose negligence contributed to the damage, and it calls for an immediate halt to supplying the affected wheat to flour mills. The governor has directed the authorities to stop its distribution.
Six flooded warehouses found at Adazai Khail depot
The Governor’s Inspection Team visited the government wheat depot, which spans about 150 kanals. According to the report, six warehouses across two blocks were hit by floodwater.
Samples of the damaged grain were sent to the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) laboratory. Its analysis found the flood-affected and deteriorated wheat posed a risk to health and could not be used as food, the report said.
Lapses in flood preparedness and post-flood checks
The inquiry found that the warehouse lacked adequate protection against floodwater. Staff did not take precautionary steps even though the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) had issued a flood alert, the report added.
The report also noted that the Food Department did not set up a technical assessment committee after the flooding to examine the quality of the stored wheat. The investigation points to shortcomings both in flood readiness and in checking stock once the water receded.
Flour mills accuse department of forcing damaged stock
The Pakistan Flour Mills Association’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter had complained earlier this week that the department was pushing mills to accept damaged wheat mixed with good-quality grain. Association president Naeem Butt alleged that government wheat worth Rs3.5 billion had been ruined by floodwater at the Adazai Khail warehouse.
Butt said the grain posed a serious health hazard and that mills would refuse to use it in flour. He also alleged that mills had been warned their government wheat supplies would be suspended if they declined to collect the damaged stock. These claims have not been independently confirmed in the report.
The association demanded a transparent investigation and gave the authorities a week to respond. It further complained that the provincial government was releasing only 3,000 tonnes of wheat against an estimated daily requirement of 12,000 tonnes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It also sought intervention over restrictions affecting wheat transport from Punjab to the province.
Gaps in the report and pending responses
The report does not specify how much wheat was affected by the flooding, nor does it establish the total financial loss linked to the damaged stock. Flour mills rely on official supplies for part of their wheat flour needs, so the findings carry weight for the sector.
The Food Department and the officials the report identifies as responsible were not quoted in the information available. Their responses to the findings and to the association’s allegations were not immediately available.
