KARACHI – Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the food department to take strict measures against wheat hoarding, directing them to strengthen monitoring of wheat stocks, regulate storage practices, and control market prices by purchasing indigenous wheat.
Presiding over a joint meeting of the Food and Agriculture Departments at the CM House, the CM reviewed the wheat procurement position for the 2025-26 crop and directed the Food Department to ensure market stability for protecting consumers from artificial shortages and price manipulation.
The meeting was attended by Excise Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Food Minister Makhdoom Mehboobuz Zaman, Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Adviser to the Chief Minister Gianchand Israni, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Secretary Agriculture Zaman Narejo, Secretary to CM Asif Jameel, Secretary Food and other concerned officers.
During the briefing, the CM was informed that wheat procurement for the 2025-26 crop commenced on April 1, 2026. The provincial government fixed the support price at Rs3,500 per 40 kilogrammes and approved bardana payment of Rs60 per 50-kg bag. A total of 332,090 growers were declared eligible under the Sindh Wheat Growers Support Programme 2025.
Against a target of one million metric tonnes, the Food Department had procured only 81,348.61 metric tonnes by June 12. At this, the CM directed the Food Department to purchase around 200,000 tonnes of wheat from PASCO to meet the shortfall.
The meeting reviewed a division-wise assessment of private wheat stocks conducted jointly by district administrations and the Food Department following directives issued during a meeting chaired by the CM on May 6. The assessment revealed total private wheat stocks of 588,512 metric tonnes across Sindh. According to the survey, Karachi held 159,577 metric tonnes of wheat stocks, Hyderabad 39,244 metric tonnes, Mirpurkhas 4,676 metric tonnes, Shaheed Benazirabad 23,971 metric tonnes, Sukkur 219,760 metric tonnes and Larkana 141,284 metric tonnes.
Taking stock of the situation, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah issued a series of directives aimed at protecting consumers, ensuring fair returns to growers and maintaining food security. The CM also directed the Food Department to explore the purchase of 177,040 metric tonnes of indigenous wheat. He further considered procuring 200,000 tonnes of wheat from PASSCO, currently stored in its godowns in Sindh.
Emphasising the need for a balanced approach, Shah directed the Food and Agriculture departments to safeguard the interests of both wheat growers and consumers by ensuring that farmers receive the notified support price while preventing unjustified increases in flour prices.
“The people of Sindh cannot be left at the mercy of speculators. We will secure our wheat reserves, stabilise prices and protect both growers and consumers,” the chief minister said.
