HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry President, Muhammad Saleem Memon, has demanded that the Sindh government formulate a comprehensive, transparent and long-term policy regarding wheat in the province, through which the interests of farmers can be protected, flour can be supplied to consumers at reasonable prices, effective monitoring of wheat reserves and food security can be ensured.
He said that wheat was the basic food requirement of the country and a strategic agricultural commodity; therefore, it was the need of the hour to develop its procurement, storage, transportation and distribution system on modern lines.
The current situation required that reforms were introduced on a permanent basis instead of temporary measures so that wheat crisis could be avoided in the future.
He said that the Hyderabad Chamber had earlier also made suggestions regarding the involvement of the private sector in the wheat procurement process, modern storage system, digital inventory management and transparent procedures.
However, in the current circumstances, the importance of these reforms had increased further.
The chamber president said that the biggest need in the current wheat system was complete transparency and availability of accurate data.
For this purpose, a digital wheat tracking and stock monitoring system should be introduced in the province, through which government warehouses, flour mills’ stocks, registered private warehouses, purchase data and wheat movement could be linked to a central digital system.
He said that through the modern digital system, the government would be able to know the status of wheat stocks in real time, artificial shortages, illegal hoarding and irregularities in the market would be identified in time, while better decisions could be made for the supply of wheat.
He added that the government should involve the private sector in the wheat procurement and storage process under a regular policy.
HCSTSI President Saleem Memon also said that farmers should be provided with timely wheat procurement facility, reasonable price and instant digital payment system so that they get economic security and continue their role in agricultural production in the future.
He said that an incentive policy should be introduced in Sindh for the promotion of modern agricultural storage facilities, silos, scientific warehousing and warehouse receipt financing system to reduce post-harvest losses of wheat, ensure market stability and long-term food security.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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