What happened
A meeting of the Wheat Board in Islamabad was told that Pakistan faces a wheat shortfall estimated at more than 3.5 million tonnes, with stakeholders saying at least 2 million tonnes of imports had become essential to bridge the gap and avert a potential food crisis.
The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain and attended by the chief secretaries of all four provinces, federal and provincial food and agriculture secretaries and other senior officials, according to the Express Tribune.
Representatives of flour mills, traders, the Cereal Association and farmers told the board that domestic supplies were insufficient and that imports appeared unavoidable. The non-official participants also said that if the federal government decided to import wheat, the policy should be fair and applied equally to flour mills and traders, warning that granting import permission to only one or two individuals or companies would be unfair.
Prices and provincial stocks
Rana Tanveer said the government had expected to receive credit for fixing the wheat support price at 3,500 rupees per maund, but that the market price had since risen to 4,400 rupees. He directed that the next Wheat Board meeting be held after 15 days to review supplies, prices and possible imports.
Provincial officials described tightening stocks. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary said the province had only 30,000 tonnes of wheat in stock and had obtained 250,000 tonnes from Passco after requesting federal help, and that more than 70 per cent of the province’s flour requirements were met by Punjab.
The Sindh chief secretary said wheat prices were rising because of reduced availability, adding that a crackdown against hoarders had been launched and its results would be assessed. The Punjab chief secretary said the provincial government’s priority was to ensure affordable flour and bread, even if development projects had to be halted, while the Punjab agriculture secretary said the province had achieved its wheat production target of 21.9 million tonnes.
Leaders of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association said wheat prices were increasing across the country because of restrictions and stringent measures imposed by Punjab.
Import move gathers pace
Separately, an international aggregator selected by the Punjab Food Department has written to the department seeking permission to import wheat to help the provincial government meet its procurement targets. According to the sources cited by the Express Tribune, the Food Department was also expected to invite its other approved aggregators to import wheat in order to avoid creating the impression that any single company was being favoured.
Why it matters
Wheat is a staple for most Pakistani households, and flour prices feed directly into the cost of daily food. A shortfall above 3.5 million tonnes would have to be covered by imports and by drawing down public stocks, even as provincial procurement has fallen short and market prices run well above the official support price. The board’s decision to reconvene within a fortnight leaves the timing and scale of any import tender still to be settled.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 2026-07-11.
- The Express Tribune — "Wheat shortfall sparks import calls"11 July 2026 · The Wheat Board meeting, the shortfall estimate, provincial stock levels and the aggregator's import request.
- Profit by Pakistan Today — "Wheat Board flags over 3.5 million-tonne shortfall as calls for imports grow"11 July 2026 · The minister's remarks on the support and market prices and the decision to meet again in 15 days.
