Country has wheat in abundance, says Tariq Bashir Cheema

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 14 Jan 2023

ISLAMABAD:  Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema on Friday said that now Pakistan is importing wheat worth $2 billion annually, at one time, Pakistan used to export wheat.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that this time they have to import 2.6 million tons of wheat from Russia, out of which they have received 1.3 million tons. "After the decision of the review committee, the government has decided to import 2.6 million tons of wheat this year. The government had stored 1.8 tons of wheat in the Strategic Reserve last year, which will contain 1.5 million this year."

The minister said that there is no shortage of wheat/flour anywhere in the country. “We have wheat in abundance and the provinces have also been asked to tell how much wheat they want.”

He said that provinces including Punjab are not releasing wheat; they are getting wheat as per requirement.

He said that last year wheat support price was fixed at Rs 2,200 and this year it was proposed to be fixed at Rs 3,000 per 40 kg, adding that the governments of Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suggested fixing the support price at Rs 3,000 per 40 kg. However, Sindh has fixed the support price at Rs 4,000.

In response to a question, he said that only certified soybeans have been released and no genetically modified organisms (GMOs) soybeans have been released.