PM Shehbaz gives orders to make sure there is a buffer stock of wheat

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said he was worried that there hadn’t been enough planning over the past four years to keep wheat reserves in the country. He also said he was sad that Pakistan, which is an agricultural country, was on the verge of a food crisis.

During a review of wheat stocks, which was led by the prime minister, he stressed the importance of keeping a buffer stock of wheat and letting some of it out until the next harvest. After figuring out how much the buffer stock was, he also asked for an urgent report.

“Pakistan, which is an agricultural country, is on the verge of a food crisis because the previous government didn’t plan,” he said. “It has been unfair to the 220 million people that we haven’t made detailed plans for meeting the demand and supply of wheat,” he said.

“Wheat should be given out, and a buffer stock should be made sure to last until the next harvest,” the prime minister said. He also said that help from international consultants should be sought to make sure that the wheat being imported is of good quality and in the right amount.

At the meeting, it was said that the country produced 26.389 million metric tonnes (MT) of wheat and had 1.806 million MT in reserves from the year before. It was also said that the total reserves would be 28.199 million MT, while the national demand was 30.79 million MT.

The government has already decided to import wheat on time through the Economic Coordination Committee to close the gap between demand and stocks (ECC). The prime minister said that the government should save money by importing wheat at the cheapest price possible.

At the meeting, they also talked about how the agreement between the government and Russia for the import of 2 million MT of wheat and the import of wheat through the Gwadar port was going. At the meeting, it was said that talks with Russia were coming to an end.

The prime minister said that steps should be taken soon to make sure that wheat can be brought in through the Gwadar port. He gave special instructions that the wheat buffer stock should be figured out and a report should be sent to him soon.