‘Punjab’s wheat prices may hit Sindh markets’

Sindh CM voices concern about early release of wheat by Punjab govt

KARACHI:

While the wheat and flour prices are stable in Sindh, the higher prices in Punjab may destabilise the market here, cautioned Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday.

Presiding over a meeting to review wheat stocks and prices at CM House, he said this in response to the food secretary's claim that the supply and prices of the essential goods were stable in the province.

While the release of wheat by the Sindh food department normally commences in September, food secretary Laiq Ahmed informed the CM that the Punjab government had decided to release wheat forthwith due to the wheat crisis there.

He added that the wheat and flour prices in Sindh were still lower than those in Punjab.

Shah stated that the federal government should also then release wheat earlier, following Punjab's lead, so that wheat prices could be stabilised in the markets.

He further directed the food department to look into Pakistan's overall wheat production and availability, adding that the matter of fixing prices and releasing wheat would be raised in the next cabinet meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2020.