Pakistan's Wheat Import Plan Faces Skepticism as Prices Remain High

The Pakistani government has decided to import 750,000 tonnes of wheat through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), but traders and millers say it may not lead to a significant drop in wheat prices.

Prices for flour have already risen due to high wheat costs in the open market, combined with daily petrol price shocks. As a result, low- and middle-income consumers are buying limited quantities of flour instead of purchasing larger bags.

Muzammil Rauf Chappal, founder and chairman of the Cereal Association of Pakistan (CAP), believes that private sector imports could be more competitive in terms of pricing. He estimates that wheat could be made available to consumers at around Rs100-101 per kg if the government allows private companies to import it.

However, Rauf Ibrahim, chairman of the Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association (KWGA), claims that the 750,000 tonnes being imported will have a negligible effect on the market, considering an estimated 70,000 tonnes of daily wheat grinding in the country.