The government has approved the wheat policy for 2025-26, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Sunday, adding there would be no restriction on the inter-provincial movement of wheat to ensure its availability across the country.
According to the statement, a high-level meeting was held yesterday (Saturday) to discuss the policy. It was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by the chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The statement said a representative of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM was also present at the meeting while the Azad Jammu and Kashmir PM and relevant stakeholders also attended the meeting.
It quoted PM Shehbaz as saying that Pakistan was an agricultural economy, for which wheat was of key importance.
“Wheat is not just a staple food item for the people of Pakistan but also the biggest source of earning for the farmers of the country,” he said, adding that the government was well aware of the difficulties of the farmers.
He assured that the all possible efforts were being made for the welfare of the farmers, the PMO statement said, further stating that the premier termed farmers the “backbone of the economy”.
PM Shehbaz told the participants of the meeting that the the government had consulted all stakeholders, including provincial governments, farmers’ associations and industrialists, over the wheat policy.
“We appreciate the cooperation of the provinces for this policy based on consensus,” PM Shehbaz stated.
He said the policy was aimed at safeguarding people’s interests while ensuring profits for farmers and hoped that it would contribute to progress in the agriculture sector.
The PM asserted that the policy would result in an increase farmers’ incomes and play an important role in in ensuring food security in the country.
According to the PMO statement, the meeting was told under the new policy, the federal and provincial governments would be able to acquire “strategic reserves of about 6.2 million tonnes” from wheat harvest in 2025-26.
It added that wheat would be procured at Rs3,500 per maund (40 kilogrammes), in accordance with the international import price.
“This measure will ensure market competitiveness along with fair prices and profits for farmers,” the PMO statement said, citing the briefing given to the meeting.
It further stated that the national food security would head committee, which would oversee the policy’s implementation. It would include representatives from all provinces and and meet every week, the statement said, adding that it would directly report to the prime minister.
According to the statement, the meeting’s participants were assured that fair pricing would be ensured for farmers and the government would by sufficient stock to ensure their security as well as “stable reserves”.