Rethinking wheat policy essential to protect farmers’ interests: Shahid Imran

LAHORE, September 6: Convener of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Regional Committee on Food Shahid Imran on Sunday called for a fundamental rethink of the country’s wheat policy to protect the interests of farmers, describing them as the backbone of the national economy.

Speaking at a seminar titled “Rethinking our Wheat Policy”, organised in collaboration with Zia Snacks and Family Food Products, he said farmers, already facing severe financial difficulties, were demanding only a harvest-time price at least equivalent to import parity to offset rising costs of diesel, electricity, fertilisers and pesticides.

He said balancing this legitimate demand with the need to protect consumers required a fundamental shift in the country’s wheat policy.

Shahid Imran proposed that the government build and maintain strategic wheat reserves of at least four million tonnes. He said the reserves should be procured and released at prevailing market prices rather than under the existing system of administratively fixed rates.

He said strategic reserves should be used as a market stabilisation mechanism and released whenever domestic wheat prices rise above import parity levels. In case of a sharp increase in international prices, low-income households should be protected through targeted subsidies rather than suppressing prices received by farmers.

He further said that in a deregulated market, the government should recognise the legitimate role of private stockists. By absorbing surplus wheat during the harvest season, private stockists perform an important supply-chain function and provide farmers with an alternative marketing channel, reducing the risk of exploitation.

However, he stressed that the government should promote a broad-based network of stockists to prevent excessive concentration in the wheat market.

Shahid Imran said Punjab produces around 77 per cent of Pakistan’s wheat, making its wheat policy a major factor in shaping the country’s overall wheat supply chain.

He said Punjab had adopted three different wheat procurement policies over the past three crop years. In 2024, the province abruptly stopped wheat procurement from farmers; in 2025, it introduced the Electronic Warehouse Receipt system; while in 2026, it shifted to a private-sector-led procurement model involving 11 companies.

He said none of the three approaches had delivered the desired results and farmers ultimately suffered financial losses.