Wheat demand from provinces reaches 2.2MMT

Pakistan's provinces have sought more than 2.2 million metric tonnes (MMT) of wheat to ease supply shortages and stabilise flour prices, as the federal government plans to import around 1 MMT through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP).

 

The requests were made during a meeting of the Federal Wheat Board, where provincial governments outlined their wheat requirements to address rising prices. Official data shows average wheat flour prices have increased 74% year-on-year to PKR 129 per kilogramme, with prices reaching PKR 150 per kilogramme in Peshawar.

 

Punjab requested 1 MMT of wheat, Sindh sought 720,000 metric tonnes including 500,000 metric tonnes through imports while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa demanded 425,000 metric tonnes and Balochistan requested 57,500 metric tonnes from available stocks.

 

The federal government plans to import wheat through the TCP using a competitive bidding process, with provincial governments required to provide back to back letters of credit. The import proposal will be submitted to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) after financing arrangements are finalised. Meanwhile, the government has yet to approve private sector wheat imports despite industry calls for a more cost-effective procurement mechanism.