ISLAMABAD: Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain on Monday announced that the government would maintain strategic wheat reserves of up to six million tonnes, asserting there would be no shortage of wheat in Pakistan this year as adequate arrangements were in place to meet the national requirements.

“This will help ensure uninterrupted supplies and protect the country against potential market disruptions,” the minister said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

His remarks came days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the indicative price of Rs4,500 per maund of wheat for 2027, raising the price by Rs1,000 from last year.

Hussain noted that the government had fixed the indicative wheat support price at Rs4,500 per 40kg following extensive consultations with all provincial governments.

“The enhanced support price will not only maintain stability in the domestic wheat market but also enable the country to export wheat next year.”

The decision on the new indicative price reflected the approach aimed at safeguarding farmers’ interests, he contended.

The minister explained that imported wheat would also cost approximately Rs4,500 per maund, making domestic procurement a more suitable option. He reiterated that the government would prioritise Pakistani farmers rather than rely unnecessarily on imported wheat.

Providing details of wheat supplies, the minister disclosed that more than 1.3 million metric tonnes of wheat had been provided to the provinces from stocks of the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco).

He further stated that arrangements could be made to import up to 550,000 metric tonnes of wheat in accordance with provincial requirements and demand.

Expressing concern over recent fluctuations in wheat prices, Hussain described the prevailing price hike as artificial and manipulated by certain market elements.

He maintained that sufficient wheat stocks were available in the country and expressed confidence that prices would return to normal within the next few days.

The food security minister emphasised that the government was closely monitoring market developments and would take necessary measures to discourage artificial shortages, speculative practices and unjustified price increases.

The minister said that the federal government, under the leadership of PM Shehbaz, was taking comprehensive measures to strengthen agricultural productivity, improve market regulation and ensure the availability of essential food commodities across the country.

Discussing broader agricultural reforms, Hussain stated that the government had also formulated policies relating to seeds, olives and biotechnology to modernise Pakistan’s agricultural sector, improve crop productivity and encourage innovation.

He reiterated that ensuring the “availability of quality seeds, promoting modern agricultural technologies and improving regulatory mechanisms” were essential for increasing agricultural productivity and reducing farmers’ production costs.

“Agriculture remains the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. Sustainable agricultural development is indispensable for national economic stability, rural prosperity and long-term food security,” Hussain reaffirmed.

Endorsing the government’s pledge to export wheat next year, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar appreciated the government’s decision to fix the indicative wheat price at Rs4500 per 40kg.

He expressed his satisfaction over the consultation process and acknowledged the importance of providing farmers with a predictable and reasonable price for their produce.

Last month, the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad demanded a Rs5,000 per 40kg support price for wheat, warning that farmers may not sow wheat for the next season if the government delays announcing crop policies.

The association had maintained that the farmers were unable to afford balanced fertiliser use because they were not recovering production costs.h a predictable and reasonable price for their produce.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s food supply remains sharply misaligned with national dietary guidelines, with major shortages of vegetables, fruits, roots and tubers, and pulses, while cereals and sugar remain in excess of dietary requirements, according to a Food and Agricul­ture Organisation (FAO) policy brief.

FAO’s new policy brief, “Food Supply for Healthy Diets in Pakistan,” says ensuring equitable access to diverse, nutritious, safe and affordable foods is a policy imperative, particularly as more than 60 per cent of Pakistanis cannot afford a healthy diet.

The situation contributes to high rates of malnutrition, while diet-related noncommunicable diseases are rising alongside persistent unde­rnutrition, the report says.

Pakistan adopted its food-based dietary guidelines in 2018, setting out evidence-based recommendations for the types and quantities of foods needed for healthy diets. But efforts to promote healthy eating cannot succeed unless nutritious foods are available and accessible, the brief says.

The assessment compared Pakistan’s annual food supply with population-level requirements across 10 dietary guideline food groups from 2010 to 2023, identifying surpluses and gaps.

Population growth is adding pressure. Pakistan’s population increased from 189.3 million in 2010 to 235.2m in 2023 and is projected to reach about 330m by 2050. Climate change and other challenges are expected to intensify demands on the agrifood system.

The report identifies persistent shortages in several nutritious food groups, particularly vegetables, roots and tubers, fruits, and legumes and pulses.

The estimated vegetable supply gap widened from 10.9m to 17.8m tonnes in 2010 to 13m to 21.6 m tonnes in 2023. For fruits, the gap increased from 1.9m to 10.3m tonnes to 3.9m to 14.3m tonnes over the same period.

However, milk, milk products, meat and eggs showed improvement. Fats and oils moved from a small gap in 2010 into the estimated required range in subsequent years.

To address the imbalance, FAO recommends coordinated fiscal and regulatory measures to realign agricultural production and trade priorities, improve food distribution, reduce post-harvest losses and food waste, and strengthen demand for healthy foods.

The brief calls for updating Pakistan’s dietary guidelines to reflect nutrition, health and environmental priorities, along with nutrition education and behaviour-change efforts. It recommends evidence-based taxes on beverages and foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, and front-of-package nutrition labelling to help consumers make informed choices.

It urges greater agricultural investment in vegetables, fruits, pulses, roots and tubers, with support for milk production in some regions. Other recommendations incl­ude incentives for food processors to meet quality standards and reduce salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2026