Punjab, Sindh Decline To Purchase Imported Flour At 77.5% High Prices.

The federal government remains firm on importing one million metric tonnes of wheat even after Punjab and Sindh backtracked on their earlier commitments.

The two provinces now prefer to draw only from federal stocks following poor local procurement.

Top functionaries told The Express Tribune that the provinces have not responded to the draft tripartite agreement required for the import.

Procurement Failure Triggers Price Surge

Punjab managed to buy just 500,000 tonnes from farmers against a three-million-tonne target.

This shortfall, along with similar under-procurement in Sindh, is blamed for the current supply crisis.

Wheat flour prices have jumped 77.5 per cent year-on-year to Rs132.5 per kilogramme.

The government had already released one million tonnes from PASSCO stocks on a proportionate basis to the provinces.

Punjab received the largest share but still insists it needs more local wheat rather than imports.

Steering Committee Reaffirms Import Plan

In meetings held on August 9 and 12, the provinces indicated they did not require imported wheat and only wanted additional federal stocks.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s office issued a statement reaffirming the decision to import one million tonnes.

The move aims to meet domestic requirements, ease price pressures and give relief to the public.

Ahmad Umair, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Agriculture, said the right to release federal reserves rests with the Centre.

Local and imported wheat will be provided on a proportionate basis to all provinces.

Tripartite Agreement Still Pending

The draft agreement makes the Ministry of National Food Security the coordinator without financial liability.

The Trading Corporation of Pakistan will handle imports without assuming liability.

Provinces are required to provide payment security, open letters of credit and take full responsibility for logistics and costs.

Officials said the agreement becomes effective only after signatures and confirmation of provincial demands.

Punjab’s representative was asked to place on record the statement that the province does not need imported wheat.

This was done to prevent later accusations against the federal government.

Risk of Shortage if Imports Dropped

Senior officials warned that federal reserves are not enough to meet the full provincial demand.

Even if provinces refuse imported wheat, the Centre will still have to import to protect strategic stocks.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has maintained its demand for both imported and local wheat.

A KP official noted that Punjab’s earlier shortage claims had already driven prices higher and disadvantaged other provinces.

The government is waiting for final written confirmation from the provinces before proceeding further with the import process.

Without clear provincial commitments on financing, the Centre risks repeating past experiences where provinces failed to honour payment obligations after imports arrived.