ISLAMABAD: The federal government has finalized a new draft of the wheat policy and dispatched it to all four provinces, seeking their feedback on the proposed measures.
According to the draft, the support price for wheat has been proposed at Rs. 3,400 per 40 kilograms. It also includes a significant policy shift, suggesting that the private sector be granted licenses to procure wheat, enabling broader participation in the market and potentially improving efficiency in the procurement process.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to hold an online meeting with the provincial governments to collect their views and suggestions regarding the new policy framework.
The draft further states that the private sector will be allowed to purchase wheat at the government’s fixed support price, while the inter-provincial movement of wheat will be conditional upon prior approval from the respective provincial governments. This step aims to ensure better coordination among provinces and prevent the unregulated transfer of wheat stocks.
The official draft also proposes a total wheat procurement target of 6.25 million tons for the current year. Punjab has been assigned a target of 2.5 million tons, while Sindh has been given a target of 1 million tons.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is expected to procure 0.75 million tons, and Balochistan has been assigned a target of 0.5 million tons. These allocations are designed to ensure equitable distribution and efficient procurement across the country.
Officials have stated that final decisions on both the support price and the procurement targets will be made after the Prime Minister’s meeting with the provincial chief ministers.
This consultation process is intended to develop a unified national wheat policy that takes into account the views and capacities of all provinces, ensuring both price stability and food security nationwide.
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