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ISLAMABAD, Nov 12 (APP): The Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) on Wednesday ensured Smooth flow of wheat seed and flour from Punjab across Provinces at the Cusp of the Rabi wheat sowing season.
Amir Mohyuddin, the Federal Secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research conducted a critical meeting with the provincial governments after receiving complaints regarding delays in inter-provincial movement of wheat seed and flour on 29 October 2025,said a release issued here.
Later, subsequent review meetings were held on the issue on 05 and 12 November, 2025. The meetings were attended by the Agriculture Department Punjab, Agriculture Department Sindh, Extension Agriculture Department KPK, and Agriculture Department Balochistan, Price Control and Commodity Management Deportment Punjab, Food Department of Sindh, KPK and Balochistan along with The National Seeds Development and Regulatory Authority (NSDRA).
Officials from Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) acknowledged that despite significant progress, delays were still occurring at several inter-provincial check posts. These bottlenecks were primarily related to verification processes and incomplete documentation of seed consignments.
The Secretary Agriculture Balochistan reported a shortfall in certified seed supply against the province’s target of 500,000 hectares, requiring 50,000 bags per day. As of 29 October 2025, only 12,000–13,000 bags were being received daily. This slow inflow risked delaying the sowing schedule in several districts and was flagged as a priority concern.
From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reports indicated a major bottleneck at Ramak check post, where approximately 100 seed trucks en-route from Punjab were stranded. Similar delays were also observed at other checkpoints along the inter-provincial borders, affecting timely delivery of certified wheat seed to farmers.
Taking immediate measures, MNFSR directed KPK Food and Agriculture Departments to coordinate directly with their counterparts in Punjab to ensure instant clearance of all seed consignments upon verification of convoy notes. The Punjab government agreed to facilitate and expedite seed dispatches to meet Balochistan’s sowing requirements within the stipulated time-line.
In Sindh, the seed requirement was estimated at 3.7 million metric tons, but only 19,800 metric tons had been moved by the same date. This disparity between demand and actual seed inflow was noted with concern, and Sindh authorities were asked to work closely with the seed providers and Federal agencies to close the gap.
The Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department (FSC&RD) and National Seed Authority (NSA) cautioned that some fake seed consignments were being transported under the guise of wheat seed and flour shipments. MNFSR took serious notice of this and instructed strict screening of all consignments to prevent counterfeit seed circulation.
To streamline monitoring, MNFSR directed the immediate deployment of representatives from the Federal Seed Organisation (FSO), FSC&RD, and relevant provincial departments at key exit and entry points to oversee verification and on-site issue resolution.
The decisions taken during the first coordination meeting included a agreement that all provinces shall follow and enforce Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for inter-provincial seed movement using verified convoy notes. Punjab was specifically instructed to expedite seed dispatches to Balochistan and Sindh to meet critical sowing timelines and avoid production losses.
The FSC&RD and NSDRA, were directed to deploy focal persons at all key check posts to resolve verification issues on the spot. To facilitate uninterrupted transport, all trucks with valid documentation were to be cleared within 1–2 hours, while the consignments without the convoy notes to be returned to their origin for correction.
Each province was directed to submit daily data on wheat seed and flour movement to MNFSR for centralized monitoring, while MNFSR committed to issuing weekly progress reports and holding coordination meetings every week to track implementation.
Additionally, joint anti-hoarding and fake seed inspections by FSC&RD and provincial teams were to continue, while flour movement nationwide was to be facilitated to ensure smooth supply and prevent artificial inflation of wheat and flour prices. Punjab were specifically tasked to coordinate for immediate clearance of over 100 stranded seed trucks at Ramak and adjacent check posts.
As a result of the timely and coordinated interventions led by the Federal Secretary MNFSR and the strict enforcement of SOPs by the provincial departments, the earlier seed movement issues were resolved amicably. By 12 November 2025, all provinces expressed satisfaction over the smooth and uninterrupted flow of certified wheat seed, particularly during the critical sowing window in Sindh and Balochistan.