What happened
Pakistan decided to import one million tonnes of wheat amid uncontrolled increases in market prices, with the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approving the move at an urgent meeting chaired virtually by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Dawn reported.
The ECC meeting was called on a single-point agenda in view of what officials described as an alarming situation. Aurangzeb also constituted a steering committee to take urgent steps to open letters of credit for the wheat imports within 12 hours.
Why the import is needed
A need assessment had already been completed at the Federal Wheat Board a day earlier. Provincial governments requested about 2.2 million tonnes of wheat to cover shortages in the market, where the price of wheat had risen to more than Rs150 per kilogram from Rs125 a week earlier.
To meet provincial needs, about 1.2 million tonnes of old stocks held by the defunct Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) would be provided to the provinces, while one million tonnes would be imported through the state-run Trading Corporation of Pakistan.
How it will be financed
The steering committee will assess needs, devise an operational mechanism for the imports, monitor the tendering process and coordinate with the provinces. The Federal Wheat Board, led by Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, had decided that provincial governments would provide back-to-back letters of credit against the imports. If any province failed to make payments for imported wheat, the federal government would deduct the amount from that province’s share of the National Finance Commission Award.
Why it matters
The decision reflects pressure on Pakistan’s food supply and household budgets after a period of elevated inflation. Wheat is a staple, and a sustained rise in its price feeds directly into the cost of flour and bread. The government’s reliance on state-run imports and existing Passco stocks also underscores the shortfall in domestic procurement from farmers this season, which officials linked to mismanagement in buying.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 30 July 2026.
- Dawn — "ECC approves urgent 1m-tonne wheat import"30 July 2026 · The ECC decision, the price figures, the Passco stocks, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan import and the financing conditions.
