Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain chaired the 12th high level meeting of the National Wheat Oversight Committee to review the country’s wheat situation and food security outlook on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by senior ministry officials, provincial agriculture secretaries, representatives of Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation, and other stakeholders.
Officials gave a detailed review of the availability of wheat stocks with public sector agencies, procurement operations in different provinces, and wheat supply movement across the country.
The committee also reviewed domestic wheat demand, strategic reserves, and market conditions.
During the briefing, officials informed the Minister that enough wheat stocks are available in national reserves.
They also said that ongoing procurement operations are expected to make the buffer stocks stronger in the coming weeks.
The meeting also noted that coordination between federal and provincial authorities is helping maintain a stable wheat supply and price management across the country.
Rana Tanveer Hussain said there is currently no wheat shortage in Pakistan when speaking in the meeting. In addition to this, enough reserves are available to meet national needs.
He also said that reports claiming a wheat shortfall are baseless and not supported by official data.
The Minister said that the government is committed to making sure of food security, stable prices, and that the wheat supply in all provinces is not interrupted.
He directed relevant departments to closely monitor procurement operations and to improve transparency in stock reporting. Additionally, to make sure of timely decisions to avoid artificial price increases in the market.
The committee also reaffirmed that the government will continue taking steps to protect both farmers and consumers through a balanced wheat procurement and distribution policy.
