A joint meeting of the Food and Agriculture Departments was held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Sindh to review wheat procurement, stock levels, and market prices across the province.
The meeting was attended by Excise Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Food Minister Makhdoom Mehboob uz Zaman, Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Chief Minister’s Adviser Gyan Chand Essrani, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, and other senior officials.
The Chief Minister directed authorities to take strict action against wheat hoarding and artificial profiteering, while ensuring real-time monitoring of wheat stocks. He emphasized that the public should not be subjected to artificial shortages or price manipulation.
Officials informed the meeting that the wheat procurement campaign began on April 1, 2026, with a support price set at Rs3,500 per 40 kilograms. An additional payment of Rs60 per 50-kilogram bag for packaging costs was also approved.
According to the briefing, 81,348 metric tons of wheat have been procured so far against a target of one million metric tons. The private sector currently holds 588,512 metric tons of wheat stocks across the province.
City-wise wheat inventories were reported as follows:
Karachi: 159,577 metric tons
Sukkur: 219,760 metric tons
Larkana: 141,284 metric tons
Hyderabad: 39,244 metric tons
Mirpur Khas: 4,676 metric tons
Shaheed Benazirabad: 23,971 metric tons
Expressing concern over the shortfall in procurement, the Chief Minister directed officials to purchase an additional 177,040 metric tons of locally produced wheat. The meeting also considered a proposal to obtain 200,000 metric tons of wheat from Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO).
He instructed authorities to accelerate procurement from PASSCO to strengthen government reserves and take emergency measures to stabilize flour prices.
The Chief Minister further directed that farmers must receive the officially announced support price without delay and warned that unjustified increases in flour prices would not be tolerated.
He stated that consumers would not be left at the mercy of hoarders and profiteers, stressing the need for strict oversight to ensure a fair and transparent market.
The meeting concluded with a commitment to maintain adequate wheat reserves and safeguard public interests through effective market management and food security measures.
