KP to procure 3 million tons of wheat to rule out shortages

ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhthunkhawa (KP) government will procure half of its total 3 million ton wheat requirement through public sector and rest from the private to rule out shortages till the next harvesting season, a statement said on Monday.

The KP officials revealed these plans at a meeting held to review the situation, availability, and future demand of wheat and flour in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in chair. Shaikh said the government would take all out measures to ensure availability of sufficient wheat and flour to the masses throughout the year. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, Finance Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Kazim Niaz, Secretary Finance Naveed Kamran Baloch, Secretary National Food Security & Research Omar Hamid Khan, were also present at the meeting.

According to a finance division statement, the meeting reviewed the current wheat situation in the province in detail, particularly existing stocks in the public sector and requirement for the province until the next harvest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The meeting, it said, decided taking appropriate measures to ensure sufficient supply and availability of wheat and flour in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the coming months.

Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Kazim Niaz told the meeting that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had about 0.6 million tons of wheat in its stocks, while it had recently procured 100,000 tons of wheat from (Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) and another 100,000 was being transported to the province.

He said the provincial authorities had planned to procure another 300,000 tons from the PASSCO for which they were already in touch with the corporation, adding they were also planning to import 300,000 tons of wheat. The chief secretary said the provincial government was aiming to have at least 1.5 million tons of wheat in its own stocks, and the same quantity was likely to be supplied by the private parties to the local market to meet the estimated 3 million tons of wheat requirement for the province until the start of next harvest.

When contacted a senior KP government official said they had picked up 100,000 tons of wheat, while picking another 100,000 tons first was slow.

“We will get another 300,000 tons from TCP (Trading Corporation of Pakistan) and want booking of one million. The government wants to help them identify from where the wheat should be sourced,” the official added. The Chief Secretary said the provincial government aimed to have at least 1.5 million tones of wheat in its own stocks, and the same quantity was likely to be supplied by the private parties to the local market to meet the estimated 3 million tones of wheat requirement for the province until the start of next harvest.