Pakistan’s fragile food security is once again under stress. After the sugar crisis, attention has now shifted to wheat, where national stocks stand at 33.47 million tons — just short of the annual consumption requirement of 33.58 million tons. This marginal deficit of 0.11 million tons, while officially described as insignificant, has already triggered a steep rise in flour prices, with a 15kg bag surging from Rs 1,060 in early August to as high as Rs 1,450 in retail markets.
Punjab contributes the largest share with 22.94 million tons, followed by Sindh’s 4.93 million, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 1.74 million, Balochistan’s 1.46 million, and PASSCO’s 2.45 million in reserves. Despite a production of 28.39 million tons from 9.1 million hectares, the supply-demand gap persists due to policy inefficiencies and market distortions.
Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, chairing the 8th Wheat Board Meeting, assured there is “no alarming situation” and ruled out imports for the 2025–26 cycle, stressing support for local farmers instead of middlemen. He highlighted adequate availability of fertilizers for the Rabi season but admitted coordination challenges between federal and provincial governments after the 18th Amendment.
Republic Policy on X (Twitter)
Food security, once again, hangs delicately on fragile governance.
