CM orders crackdown on wheat hoarding

Shah directs Food Dept to strictly monitor stocks in the province

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has directed the Food Department to launch strict action against wheat hoarding and ensure effective monitoring of wheat stocks across the province to stabilise prices and protect consumers.

Chairing a joint meeting of the Food and Agriculture Departments at the Chief Minister House on Monday, he stressed the need to regulate wheat storage practices and ensure market stability through timely procurement of locally produced wheat.

CM Shah reviewed the procurement progress for the 2025-26 wheat crop and expressed concern over the pace of government purchases. He directed officials to prevent artificial shortages and curb price manipulation in the market.

Officials briefed the chief minister that wheat procurement for the current season began on April 1, 2026, with the provincial government fixing the support price at Rs3,500 per 40kg and approving Rs60 per 50kg bag on account of bardana charges. It was further informed that under the Sindh Wheat Growers Support Programme 2025, a total of 332,090 farmers had been declared eligible for support.

However, against a procurement target of 10 million metric tons, only 81,348.61 metric tons of wheat had been procured by June 12, prompting the chief minister to direct officials to explore the option of procuring around 200,000 metric tons from PASSCO to bridge the shortfall. The meeting also reviewed a divisional survey of privately held wheat stocks conducted jointly by the district administration and the Food Department on the chief minister's directives issued on May 6.