A meeting of the Wheat Board chaired by Federal Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain in Islamabad was dominated by concerns over a decline in wheat production. Stakeholders warned of a shortfall exceeding 3.5 million tonnes and called for imports to avert a potential food crisis.
Stakeholders Warn of Severe Shortfall
Representatives of flour mills, traders, the Cereal Association, and farmers told the meeting that the country is facing a wheat shortfall, making it essential to import at least 2 million tonnes. They stated that there appears to be no alternative to imports for bridging the supply gap.
The non-official participants emphasized that if the federal government decides to import wheat, the import policy should be fair and applied equally to flour mills and traders. They said granting import permission to only one or two individuals or companies would be unfair.
Provincial Representatives Report Stock Levels
The meeting was attended by the chief secretaries of all four provinces, federal and provincial secretaries for food and agriculture, and other senior officials. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary reported that the province has only 30,000 tonnes of wheat in stock and had obtained 250,000 tonnes from Passco after requesting the federal government. He added that more than 70% of the province's flour requirements are met by Punjab.
The Sindh chief secretary said that wheat prices are rising because of reduced availability in the province, adding that a crackdown against hoarders has been launched and its results will be assessed. The Punjab chief secretary stated that it is the vision of the chief minister that even if development projects have to be halted, the government will ensure the provision of affordable flour and bread to the public.
Punjab Achieves Production Target
The Punjab agriculture secretary told the meeting that the province had achieved its wheat production target of 21.9 million tonnes. However, leaders of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) said that wheat prices are increasing across the country because of unnecessary restrictions and stringent measures imposed by Punjab.
Government Acknowledges Price Discrepancy
Rana Tanveer Hussain said that the government had expected to receive credit for fixing the wheat price at Rs3,500, but the market price had now reached Rs4,400. He directed that the next Wheat Board meeting be held after 15 days to review the situation and hold further consultations.
Punjab Food Department Seeks Import Permission
Separately, the Punjab Food Department's selected international aggregator company has written to the department, seeking permission to import wheat to help the provincial government meet its targets. According to sources, the Food Department will also invite its other aggregators to import wheat to avoid creating the impression that any single aggregator is being favoured.
