Dar orders steps as wheat prices rise
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday directed federal and provincial governments to take all necessary measures, including increasing market supply, as wheat prices rising in Pakistan drew official concern. Chairing a cabinet committee that reviewed stocks, prices and the supply of essential commodities, he said protecting national food security and keeping essential items available at reasonable prices were government priorities.
Stocks, sugar and market monitoring
Officials told the meeting that stocks of essential commodities remained adequate and that domestic and imported wheat were enough to meet needs until the next harvest. On sugar, the committee heard that the domestic price was well below the targeted retail rate of Rs155 per kilogram, with surplus stocks available until the next crushing season.
Mr Dar instructed federal and provincial authorities to watch market networks closely and said organisations must show zero tolerance for hoarding and speculation. The meeting included National Food Security and Research Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, the food security and commerce secretaries, the chief secretaries of all provinces, and other senior officials.
Support price and growers’ concerns
A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif fixed the indicative wheat support price for 2027 at Rs4,500 per maund (40 kilograms), Rs1,000 above the previous year’s rate. The PTI Kisan Wing welcomed the announcement but said its value would depend on whether farmers can actually sell at that rate.
Central Secretary Information Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich said the decision followed a long wait and farmers’ demands for protection against rising production costs. He argued that without an effective procurement system, middlemen and commission agents have forced growers to sell cheaply. “A support price announced on paper provides no meaningful relief unless farmers can actually sell their wheat at the declared rate,” he said.
He called for an immediate, clear wheat procurement policy for direct purchase at the announced rate, timely procurement centres, transparent procedures, monitoring against middlemen, and an accessible complaints channel for small and medium farmers.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- A day before the committee meeting: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif set the indicative wheat support price for 2027 at Rs4,500 per maund, Rs1,000 higher than the previous year’s rate.
- Saturday: Ishaq Dar chaired a cabinet committee on essential commodities and ordered federal and provincial action to increase market supply and control wheat prices.
- Saturday: Officials briefed the committee that wheat stocks (domestic and imported) were sufficient until the next harvest and that sugar remained below the Rs155 per kg target retail price.
- Saturday: PTI Kisan Wing Central Secretary Information Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich welcomed the Rs4,500 support price but demanded a concrete procurement mechanism so farmers receive the declared rate.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Hakumat ne kaha hai ke gandhum mehngai ko rokne ke liye bazaar mein zyada supply di jayegi aur zatrakhuran (hoarding) par sakhti hogi. Officials ke mutabiq abhi stock aghli fasal tak kaafi hain. Support price 2027 ke liye Rs4,500 per maund (40 kg) hai, jo pichhle saal se Rs1,000 zyada hai. Kisanon ke liye asli faida tabhi hoga jab woh yeh rate asli mein hasil kar saken.
