Shahid Imran, convener of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry regional food committee, spoke at a seminar on Sunday about the need to rethink the country’s wheat strategy. He said farmers face severe financial strain from escalating costs of diesel, electricity, fertilizers, and pesticides, and need harvest prices that match import parity to stay viable.
Imran proposed that the government build and maintain strategic wheat reserves of at least four million tonnes, purchased and sold at market prices rather than fixed rates. He suggested using these reserves to stabilize markets and providing targeted subsidies to low-income households if global prices rise, rather than keeping farm prices artificially low.
He also called for allowing private stockists to operate in a deregulated market to absorb surplus wheat at harvest time, while ensuring a broad network to prevent any single buyer from dominating. Imran noted that Punjab produces about 77 percent of Pakistan’s wheat, but the province’s changing procurement methods over the past three seasons have not worked well and have left farmers taking losses.