PAC Blocks Sugar Exports, Halts Wheat Imports Amid Farmer Crisis

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Pakistan has halted sugar exports and put on hold wheat imports, pending its recommendations. The decision came after a review of domestic consumption, local requirements, and national stocks by the Sugar Advisory Board.

The advisory board, led by Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, had cleared the export of 200,000 tonnes of sugar. However, the PAC has put this move on hold until it receives a detailed briefing from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

The government plans to import wheat to cover the shortfall, but the PAC has given the food ministry one week to deliver a comprehensive briefing on the wheat crisis. The committee is concerned that the government's wheat policy has bankrupted farmers and created an 'artificial shortage.'