Pakistan: KP urges Punjab to lift wheat and flour ban amid food security concerns

Peshawar [Pakistan], October 24 : The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has urged Punjab to immediately lift restrictions on the inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour, warning that the ongoing curbs are disrupting supply chains, inflating prices, and threatening food security in the province.

In a letter to his Punjab counterpart, KP's food secretary said lifting the ban was essential to "restoring a smooth supply chain, stabilising market prices, and safeguarding his province's food security."

The letter highlighted that KP, a wheat-deficient province, relies on inter-provincial supplies from Punjab to meet daily requirements of roughly 14,500 tonnes.

"The prevailing restrictions have severely disrupted the flow of wheat and flour into the province, thereby threatening food availability and destabilising market prices," the letter added. While the province acknowledged Punjab's permit-based allocation of 2,000 tonnes of flour for transport to KP, it called the quota "insufficient" relative to actual requirements.

The letter further stated that despite repeated communications from KP's chief secretary, food secretary, and director of food to Punjab, the ban remained in effect. It noted that the situation violated Article 151(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which guarantees "freedom of inter-provincial trade and movement of goods across the country."

The issue had also been discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on October 17 regarding the Interim Wheat Policy 2025, where the smooth inter-provincial movement of wheat and its products was emphasised.

"The KP Flour Mills Association has repeatedly conveyed grave concerns over the rapidly depleting wheat stocks, cautioning that the non-availability of wheat and flour may arise in the coming days if the restrictions persist," the letter said.

On Wednesday, KP Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi condemned Punjab's "ban" on wheat and flour transport to the province, terming it a violation of the Constitution and "an attack on the rights" of KP residents. Chairing a meeting, he instructed the food department to write to Punjab demanding immediate removal of all restrictions to ensure free movement of wheat and flour across provincial borders.

He added that "hiding behind political differences to deprive citizens of necessities was unacceptable." Officials stated that KP consumes around 5.3 million tonnes of wheat and flour annually, of which only 1.5 million tonnes are produced locally, with the remainder sourced from Punjab and other provinces.

Meanwhile, tensions between the PPP and PML-N resurfaced over Punjab allegedly halting the supply of wheat seed to Sindh, prompting protests from the PPP, which sought the Prime Minister's urgent intervention.

PPP's Sindh chapter president and chair of the provincial Public Accounts Committee, Nisar Khuhro, accused the federal and Punjab governments of being "anti-Sindh" and urged PM Shehbaz to take immediate notice.

"As the wheat sowing season begins, the Punjab Agriculture Regulatory Authority and the Food Department, acting on the Punjab government's directives, have reportedly halted the supply of hundreds of thousands of wheat seed bags to Sindh," Khuhro said.

"This disruption has raised serious concerns that wheat cultivation across vast areas of Sindh could be severely affected. If Punjab does not resume seed supply to Sindh immediately, the province's overall wheat production could decline significantly," he added.

The PPP had also questioned the wheat procurement mechanism following the recent announcement of the minimum support price (MSP) at PKR 3,500 per 40 kilograms, triggering a strong response from the Punjab government.

PPP Punjab Secretary General Hassan Murtaza asked at a press conference, "Who would procure wheat and under what mechanism following Passco's 'abolition'?" He said farmers were at the mercy of middlemen paying below the MSP.

Provincial Information Minister Azma Bokhari responded, urging the PPP leadership to take notice of Murtaza's remarks, warning that the PML-N would otherwise respond in kind.

The PPP leadership from Sindh has now raised fresh objections, accusing the PML-N of depriving Sindh's farmers of their due rights. "It's a grave injustice to Sindh's farmers and tantamount to economic exploitation of growers and haris [farm labourers]," Khuhro said.

"Pakistan produces about 552,000 tonnes of wheat seed annually, out of which Punjab-based seed companies account for roughly 516,000 tonnes. However, the Punjab government is reportedly preventing these companies from selling their wheat seed to Sindh."

According to Khuhro, Sindh's farmers and dealers have already paid Punjab-based suppliers for the seeds, yet the supply has been blocked. He described the move as "anti-Sindh" and discriminatory against the province's farmers.

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