Dar says 750,000 tonnes of wheat to be imported in November

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday reiterated the government’s decision to import up to one million metric tonnes of wheat, with 750,000 tonnes to be brought in during the first phase in November, amid growing concerns over a possible shortage of around three million tonnes.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FM Dar chaired a meeting to review wheat stocks in the country.

The deputy prime minister appreciated the cooperation and coordination extended by all provinces, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and the Ministry of Commerce in resolving issues related to wheat imports, stabilising prices and curbing hoarding.

He directed the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) to immediately supply wheat to the provinces according to allocations approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and the steering committee.

Dar also directed the provinces to ensure timely payments and lifting of their allocated wheat supplies while also reiterating the decision to import up to one million metric tonnes of wheat, with the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) directed to start the process immediately.

“In the first phase, 750,000 metric tonnes will be imported, with delivery scheduled for November,” the statement said.

Dar stressed that all concerned institutions must continue working in close coordination to ensure adequate wheat availability, stable prices and relief for consumers across Pakistan.

Read: Wheat shortfall could cost $1.2 billion

The meeting was attended by the minister for national food security and research, the minister for commerce, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, secretaries of commerce and national food security and research, representatives of the provincial governments, and senior federal and provincial officials.

The government’s decision comes amid concerns among wheat growers that the country could face a shortfall of nearly three million tonnes, with farmer representatives warning that urgent steps were needed to encourage cultivation ahead of the Rabi sowing season.

The country’s leading farmers’ body has said three consecutive years of policy missteps have pushed growers into losses estimated at Rs2,200 billion, eroding confidence in wheat cultivation.

The body said the decline in farmer incomes had discouraged growers from planting wheat on land that would otherwise have been used for the crop, threatening the yields needed to maintain self-sufficiency in the staple grain.

According to the farmers’ body’s calculations, the current wheat support price of Rs3,900 per 40-kilogramme maund, last approved by the federal ECC in March 2023, falls short of covering current production costs, which it puts at Rs3,761 per maund.

Adding a 25 per cent profit margin, the body said a realistic support price would be closer to Rs4,702 per maund.

The federal government had set the procurement price for the 2025-26 season at Rs3,500 per maund, with production estimated at around 28.4 million tonnes, down from 31.4 million tonnes a year earlier, according to industry data.

Also Read: Provinces demand 2.2MMT of wheat

Farmers’ groups have said Pakistan’s per-maund production costs, ranging between Rs2,800 and Rs3,400 depending on the region, remain among the highest in South Asia.

The farmers’ body had urged the prime minister and the minister for national food security to publicly commit by the end of August to restoring the wheat support price and procurement mechanism.

It argued that early clarity was essential to encourage farmers to bring fallow and diverted land back under wheat cultivation ahead of the Rabi season.