Dar Orders Action to Rein In Rising Wheat Prices

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has ordered federal and provincial governments to take all necessary measures, including increasing market supply, to bring rising wheat prices under control. Dar chaired a cabinet committee meeting on Saturday to review the stocks, prices and supply of essential commodities.

Dar stressed that food security and essential items at reasonable prices were government priorities. The participants reviewed national reserves, procurement frameworks, domestic consumption and price trends.

The committee heard essential commodity stocks remained adequate, ensuring stable local supplies. Domestic and imported wheat stocks sufficed until the next harvest, officials said.

On sugar, the committee was informed that the domestic market price remained well below the targeted retail price of Rs155 per kilogram, with surplus stocks available until the next crushing season.

Dar directed federal and provincial authorities to closely monitor market networks. He stressed that all organisations must show zero tolerance for hoarding and market speculation.

The meeting was attended by National Food Security and Research Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, the secretaries of the national food security and research and commerce ministries, the chief secretaries of all provinces, and senior officials from relevant federal and provincial departments.

Rising wheat prices: farmers welcome support price, demand delivery

In a related development, the PTI Kisan Wing welcomed the government’s announcement of a wheat support price of Rs4,500 per maund (40 kilograms), while expressing reservations about its implementation. A day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif set the new indicative wheat support price for 2027, increasing it by Rs1,000 from the rate fixed last year.

PTI Kisan Wing Central Secretary Information Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich said the announcement had come after a prolonged wait and persistent demands by farmers’ organisations, which had repeatedly urged the government to protect growers from rising production costs and financial losses.

He welcomed the announcement but said its significance would depend on whether the government ensured its implementation in letter and spirit. Merely announcing a support price would serve little purpose if farmers continued to be denied the promised rate when selling their wheat, he added.

Sadhraich said farmers had repeatedly suffered in previous wheat procurement seasons despite government claims and official announcements. He added: “In the absence of an effective procurement mechanism, middlemen and commission agents exploited growers’ vulnerability, compelling them to sell their produce at throwaway prices, often without effective intervention by the relevant authorities.”

He cautioned the government against repeating these mistakes. Farmers could not afford another season of financial uncertainty after investing heavily in seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, diesel, electricity and irrigation, he said.

“A support price announced on paper provides no meaningful relief unless farmers can actually sell their wheat at the declared rate,” he added.

What farmers want next

Sadhraich demanded that the government immediately announce a clear wheat procurement policy, ensuring that it purchased wheat directly from farmers at the announced rate. The policy should spell out procurement arrangements and operational procedures, he said.

He also called for monitoring to stop middlemen exploiting growers and ensure benefits reached genuine growers. Procurement centres should open on time, procedures should stay transparent, and small and medium-sized farmers should have an accessible complaints mechanism.

The government had already moved on wheat prices at the first meeting of the National Agriculture and Food Security Council, where fair prices for growers were on the agenda. In Sindh, chakki owners rejected a Rs12,500 wheat issue price and warned flour would cost more, a sign of how sensitive wheat pricing is across the chain from farm to flour.

Dar’s order and the Kisan Wing’s response now point in the same direction: the price on paper must become the price at the procurement centre. If the government delivers that, growers get the relief the support price promises. If it does not, the same complaints will return at harvest time.

What did Ishaq Dar order on wheat prices?

Dar ordered federal and provincial governments to take all necessary measures, including increasing market supply, to bring rising wheat prices under control, with zero tolerance for hoarding and speculation.

What is the new wheat support price?

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif set the indicative wheat support price for 2027 at Rs4,500 per maund, up Rs1,000 from last year’s rate.

Are wheat stocks adequate?

The cabinet committee was briefed that domestic and imported wheat stocks were sufficient to meet requirements until the next harvest.

What do farmers want beyond the support price?

The PTI Kisan Wing wants a clear procurement policy, direct government purchases at the announced rate, timely procurement centres, transparent procedures and a complaints mechanism for growers.