By Muhammad Saleem
LAHORE — Pakistan is staring down a potential food crisis, and flour millers say there’s only one way to stop it: import wheat now.
After devastating floods wiped out farmland and damaged grain stocks, Punjab — the country’s largest producer — is already running short. “The situation is dire,” warned Riazullah Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), Punjab chapter. “The only solution is immediate imports.”
From Bumper Crop to Shortage
Ironically, the country had just reaped a bumper wheat crop. But poor policies turned success into failure. Farmers couldn’t sell their harvest at fair prices and, in desperation, offloaded wheat to feed mills for cheap — between 1.5 and 2 million tons worth. That wheat ended up as animal feed, leaving a massive dent in the stockpile meant for human consumption.
“The government failed to buy enough wheat when it was available,” Khan said. “Farmers sold at throwaway prices, and now we’re paying the price.”
Millers Feeling the Pinch
Flour mills are buying wheat at Rs1,750 per 40kg and selling flour at the same price, despite additional grinding costs of Rs800. “We’re trying to support the government during this crisis, but this burden is not sustainable,” Khan noted.
The government has also blocked wheat transport to other provinces, further squeezing millers.
Numbers Hidden, Prices Frozen
Khurram Shahzad, senior vice-chairman of PFMA Punjab, said exact figures on stocks are murky because farmers fear declaring wheat — officials often seize it. Still, he estimates the shortfall at 1 to 1.5 million tons. Without imports, he warns, next year could be even worse.
Meanwhile, bread prices remain frozen at Rs14, an artificially low rate that’s distorting the market and discouraging farmers from planting wheat again.
Shafiq Anjum, chairman of Faisalabad’s Flour Mills Association, argued that while the government holds reserves, much of it is locked away under “food security” policies. That leaves little choice but to look abroad. He believes private companies should be allowed to import wheat directly, with the government focusing only on maintaining strategic reserves to prevent hoarding or manipulation.
Farmers Losing Faith
The lack of a fair support price could push farmers toward other crops, worsening the shortage. “Unless the government announces an indicative price, farmers will keep losing confidence,” Shahzad said.
Khalid Khokhar, president of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad, echoed that imports may be necessary but stressed that regulation must be clear. “If the Trading Corporation of Pakistan handles imports, corruption will follow,” he warned. “Either fully regulate or fully deregulate — not this halfway approach.”
He added that before turning to imports, the government should first assess existing stockpiles. If more wheat is needed, private sector imports would keep the process transparent.