KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, in a high-level meeting at CM House, agreed on the urgent need to formulate a national food security policy with provincial consultation and to ensure fair support prices for wheat growers to encourage higher production.
Welcoming the federal minister and his delegation, the Chief Minister recalled that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had already warned about looming food security challenges. “We must give our farmers a good support price; without it, they won’t grow wheat,” he said.
Rana Tanveer acknowledged the CM’s concerns, adding, “Last year, wheat sowing in the country declined by 6 per cent. The Prime Minister has directed me to meet with you, as the federal government is committed to building strategic wheat reserves.”
Murad Shah informed the meeting that Sindh produced 3.452 million metric tons of wheat in 2024-25, with a current stock of 1.385 million metric tons. He said the province had held several meetings on Sindh and Balochistan’s wheat needs and reserves, and current estimates show sufficient wheat stock until the new harvest.
The CM warned that the absence of a support price last year had dealt a major blow to growers. “Farmers suffered such heavy losses that some were forced to sell their land or switch over to other crops. As a result, wheat was sown on fewer acres, yields declined, and farmers could not afford fertilisers and other inputs,” he said.
Participants agreed that wheat must not be imported, and instead, domestic growers should be encouraged and protected. They noted that wheat prices in the open market currently range between Rs3,300 and Rs4,000 per 40kg, and support policies should benefit farmers directly rather than middlemen.
The meeting decided to draft a comprehensive national wheat policy with provincial input, focusing on farmer support, better procurement mechanisms, and ensuring strategic reserves.
“This year, we must fix a support price so that our growers are protected. Only then can we secure food for our people,” CM Murad Shah concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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