FPCCI official calls for fundamental review of wheat policy to protect farmers

LAHORE, Sep 06 (APP):Convener of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Regional Committee on Food, Shahid Imran, called for a fundamental review of the country’s wheat policy on Sunday to safeguard farmers’ interests and address escalating production costs.

According to a spokesperson, Speaking at a seminar titled “Rethinking our Wheat Policy”—organized in collaboration with Zia Snacks and Family Food Products—he noted that farmers are under severe financial pressure and demand harvest-time prices equivalent to import parity to offset rising expenses for diesel, electricity, fertilizers, and pesticides. Balancing this demand with consumer interests, he said, requires a comprehensive policy overhaul.

Shahid Imran proposed that the government establish and maintain strategic wheat reserves of at least four million tonnes, to be procured and released at prevailing market prices rather than through fixed rates. He suggested using these reserves as a market-stabilization tool and protecting low-income households through targeted subsidies if international prices surge, rather than suppressing farm-gate prices.

Furthermore, he advocated for recognizing private stockists in a deregulated market to absorb surplus wheat during harvests, while stressing the need for a broad-based stockist network to prevent market concentration. Highlighting that Punjab produces roughly 77 percent of Pakistan’s wheat, he pointed out that the province’s shifting procurement approaches over the past three crop cycles—from halting direct procurement in 2024 to introducing electronic receipts in 2025 and a private-sector model in 2026—have failed to yield desired results, leaving farmers to bear financial losses.