Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the Punjab government to increase its wheat procurement target and has directed the Food Security Division to import the commodity as soon as possible if a shortage occurs.
He provided these directives while chairing a high-level conference on wheat production, existing reserves, and consumption at the province and national levels in Islamabad on Friday.
The Prime Minister also gave orders aimed at reducing wheat smuggling and developing a comprehensive plan to combat commodities theft and corruption. He also commanded that a strategy for the construction of wheat storage silos be presented.
The meeting was given a full report on the country’s wheat production this year. According to reports, the aim for this year was 28.89 metric tonnes of wheat, but output is expected to continue at 26.173 metric tonnes. Wheat consumption in the country is predicted to be 30.79 metric tonnes. Farmers have reported a 2% decrease in wheat cultivation as a result of the delayed release of the support price. Furthermore, rising oil prices and climate changes such as an early rise in temperature hampered the accomplishment of the wheat output objective.
In terms of the government’s wheat procurement aim, the conference was informed that Punjab had accomplished 91.66 percent, Sindh 49.68 percent, and Balochistan 15.29 percent, while PASSCO had met its whole goal.
The Prime Minister was also updated on the sitting government’s public relief initiatives, which include subsidised wheat for flour mills, a 10 kilogramme wheat flour bag for 400 rupees, flour distribution through Utility Stores in Balochistan, and two metric tonnes of wheat for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In consultation with the provincial government, the Prime Minister instructed that wheat consumption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be identified in order to assure enough supply of the commodity.
