The federal and Sindh governments have agreed to draft a National Wheat Policy to tackle food security challenges and protect local farmers.

This understanding came during a meeting in Karachi between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain. Several senior officials from both sides attended, including Asif Hyder Shah, Jabar Khan, Agha Wasif, Zaman Narejo, Bachal Rahpoto, Tariq Bajwa, Ahmed Azeer, and Syed Bilal Haider.

Murad Ali Shah said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had already warned about food security threats. He stressed that farmers must get a fair support price; otherwise, they will stop growing wheat. Rana Tanveer Hussain agreed and noted that wheat sowing dropped by 6 percent last year. He said the Prime Minister has directed him to work with Sindh to build strategic wheat reserves.

Murad Shah shared that Sindh produced 3.452 million metric tons of wheat in 2024–25 and currently has 1.385 million metric tons in stock. He said Sindh has reviewed its and Balochistan’s wheat needs, and stocks should last until the next harvest. He warned that the lack of a support price last year hurt farmers badly, forcing some to sell their land or switch to other crops, which led to lower sowing, reduced yields, and less use of fertilisers.

Tariq Bajwa pointed out that 90 percent of Pakistan’s wheat comes from Sindh and Punjab, and 80 percent is consumed there. He said farmer incentives are crucial to ensure food security. Participants agreed that Pakistan must avoid wheat imports and instead support local growers directly, not middlemen. They noted that wheat prices in the open market are currently between Rs3,300 and Rs4,000 per 40kg.

The meeting decided to prepare a comprehensive National Wheat Policy with input from all provinces, focusing on fair support prices for farmers, better procurement systems, and building strong strategic wheat reserves.

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