Pakistan's wheat mismanagement deepens as supply crisis forces import debate

Lahore [Pakistan], July 11 (ANI): Pakistan is facing mounting concerns over its wheat supply after officials, industry representatives and provincial authorities warned of a significant production shortfall, prompting renewed calls for large-scale imports to prevent a food security crisis, as reported by The Express Tribune.
According to The Express Tribune, a meeting of the Wheat Board, chaired by Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain in Islamabad, focused on the country's shrinking wheat reserves and the widening gap between production and demand. Participants from flour mills, grain traders, farmer organisations and the Cereal Association estimated that Pakistan could face a wheat deficit of more than 3.5 million tonnes.
Stakeholders argued that importing at least 2 million tonnes of wheat had become unavoidable to stabilise supplies. Representatives from the private sector also urged the government to ensure that any import policy remains transparent and competitive. They maintained that import permits should be made available to all eligible flour millers and traders rather than being concentrated among a limited number of companies, warning that preferential treatment could distort the market.
Senior officials from all four provinces attended the meeting. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's chief secretary informed participants that the province currently held only around 30,000 tonnes of wheat in reserve and had already secured 250,000 tonnes from the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) after seeking federal assistance. He also noted that Punjab continues to supply over 70 per cent of the province's flour requirements, as cited by The Express Tribune.
Sindh officials highlighted growing wheat prices linked to declining availability and said authorities had launched operations against alleged hoarding to improve market conditions. Meanwhile, Punjab officials defended the province's production performance, claiming it had achieved its wheat output target of 21.9 million tonnes. They also reiterated the provincial government's commitment to maintaining affordable flour and bread prices despite financial pressures, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)