Punjab wheat stock enough to last till January

Punjab had a wheat stock of 4 million tons which could be enough to meet its requirement for 5-6 months, depending upon the current rate of releases to the flour mills, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Food Security was informed on Friday.

The committee, which met here with its chairman, Rao Muhammad Ajmal Khan, in the chair, suggested to the Zarai Taraqiati Bank (ZTBL) to work out scheme of loan for livestock to those who did not own agricultural land.

During the meeting, the chair enquired about the improvement in the wheat storage system. The Punjab food secretary replied that at present the storages covered 50% of wheat stock, adding that so far, no major storage issues had been identified.

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He said that 24 million tons wheat production was expected this year – 4 million tons less than the previous year. He added that in last season, the Punjab government procured 4.5 million tons of wheat, which was being released to the flourmills at Rs1,765 per 40 kilogrammes.

“Our wheat goes to Afghanistan. Three million tons of wheat is smuggled to Afghanistan,” the secretary told the committee. He suggested that wheat exports should be discussed with Afghanistan at the official level by the Foreign Ministry.

Speaking about the current wheat stock situation, the secretary said that currently 4 million tons of wheat stock was available in Punjab, while 7-8 million tons of wheat had been released. “At the current rate of releases, the stock will run out in January,” he said.

The committee was informed that the federal government had been asked to provide 1 million tonnes of wheat to Punjab. On that, officials of the federal Ministry of National Food Security said that 3 million tons of wheat to be imported.

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They said that the first wheat shipment of 500,000 tons of wheat had arrived on July 5, while three more shipments would reach the country later this month, they added. “Once the imported wheat reaches the country, province would be provided as per their needs.”

The committee was informed that the Punjab government had demanded 1 million tons of wheat, while Sindh demanded 200,000 tonnes of wheat. Similarly, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had also demanded 1 million tonnes of wheat.

At the meeting, the ZTBL president informed the committee that 90% of the loans advanced by the bank were borrowed by farmers, owning up to 12.5 acres of land. In the last six months, he added, Rs1.5 billion had been lent for livestocks.

The chair suggested that a livestock scheme should be worked out for those who did not possess land. He also said that if agricultural sector was shifted to solar energy, it could save 2,500 megawatts of electricity.