Amid rising LoC tensions, Punjab boosts food stocks

LAHORE: As tensions between Pakistan and India escalate following the latter’s move to strip Occupied Kashmir’s special status, the Punjab government has begun taking stock of food resources in the province just in case hostilities spill over.

On the federal government’s advice, the Punjab home department has already obtained details of wheat reserves in the province to prepare for any food security risks in case of any potential conflict, sources in the provincial government wing said.

According to them, the Punjab government currently has 4.8 million tonnes of wheat in stock and can cover the food needs of the province’s urban population for 278 days. They added that the Punjab food department is also procuring an additional 700,000 tonnes of wheat from Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and other districts.

The sources said Punjab’s additional secretary defence planning on August 17 wrote a letter to the provincial food department requesting details of government wheat stocks. In particular, the letter asked for details of wheat reserves in districts close to the border, such as Lahore, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur.

According to details released by the food department, Lahore has 263,000 tonnes of wheat, Gujranwala has 380,000 tonnes and Bahawalpur has 886,000 tonnes.  Rawalpindi has another 200,000 tonnes, while Sargodha and Multan have 357,000 and 800,000 tonnes respectively in government stock. Sahiwal and DG Khan have 500,000 and 724,000 tonnes, and Faisalabad has 1,000 tonnes of government wheat.

The food department, as in the past, has also decided to move surplus wheat stocks from southern Punjab to these districts and a transportation tender is set to be issued soon.

The federal government, meanwhile, has directed the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) to ensure ample reserves in its Azad Jammu and Kashmir branch. The food storage department has also been advised to ensure quick provision of wheat supply sought by AJK government. According to sources, the AJK government procures about 150,000 tonnes of wheat from PASSCO every year.