Dar orders crackdown on rising wheat prices, warns against hoarding

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has directed federal and provincial authorities to take urgent measures to control rising wheat prices and ensure an adequate supply of  essential commodities across Pakistan.

Chairing a cabinet committee meeting on Saturday, Dar stressed that food security and the availability of essential items at affordable prices remained key government priorities. He called for increased market supplies and strict monitoring to prevent hoarding and speculative trading.

Officials briefed the meeting on national commodity reserves, procurement arrangements, domestic consumption and prevailing market prices. They said available stocks of essential commodities were sufficient to maintain supply stability.

The committee was informed that domestic and imported wheat stocks could meet the country’s requirements until the next harvest. Sugar supplies were also reported to be adequate, with prices remaining below the government’s target retail rate of Rs155 per kilogram.

Dar instructed the relevant departments to closely monitor markets and take action against individuals and businesses involved in hoarding or manipulating prices. He emphasised that authorities must adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards practices that put additional pressure on consumers.

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, provincial chief secretaries and senior officials from relevant ministries and departments.

Separately, the PTI Kisan Wing welcomed the government’s decision to set the indicative wheat support price for 2027 at Rs4,500 per maund (40 kilogrammes). However, it called for a transparent procurement policy to ensure farmers receive the announced rate when selling their produce.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the new support price a day earlier, raising it by Rs1,000 compared with the rate fixed last year.

PTI Kisan Wing Central Secretary Information Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich said the announcement followed sustained demands from farmers’ organisations seeking protection against rising agricultural costs and mounting financial pressures.

He said the government’s decision could provide relief to growers, but its effectiveness would depend on proper implementation. According to him, previous procurement seasons had shown that official support prices offered little benefit when farmers could not sell their wheat at the announced rates.

Sadhraich said middlemen and commission agents had exploited weaknesses in the procurement system, forcing farmers to sell their produce at significantly reduced prices. He warned that growers were already struggling with the rising costs of seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, diesel, electricity and irrigation.

He urged the government to introduce a clear procurement framework under which wheat would be purchased directly from farmers at the declared support price.

The PTI Kisan Wing also called for timely establishment of procurement centres, transparent purchasing procedures and an effective monitoring system to prevent exploitation by intermediaries. It further demanded an accessible complaints mechanism to help small and medium-sized farmers sell their produce without unnecessary delays or pressure.