Pakistan's Wheat Import Exposes Failure of Government Policy

The Pakistani government's decision to import 750,000 tonnes of wheat has been widely criticized by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Punjab Kisan Wing. According to Mian Ejaz Shafi, General Secretary of the PTI's agricultural wing, this move exposes the failure of the government's wheat policy and its flawed production estimates.

The PTI had warned about the impending wheat shortage well before the start of the season, but the government failed to establish an effective procurement mechanism. As a result, farmers were forced to sell their wheat at prices lower than the cost of production, around Rs3,000 per maund.

Shafi questioned the need for imports when local growers had repeatedly complained about depressed prices and inadequate market support. He also raised concerns about the accuracy of official production estimates, particularly in view of earlier claims of a bumper harvest.

The PTI has called for an independent review of official wheat production estimates and proposed a centralised wheat policy council comprising farmers, agricultural experts, economists, and government representatives.