Pakistan: Senate informed of wheat imports, water management plans

Over the past two years, Pakistan has imported 6.187 MMT of wheat, including 2.6 MMT in 2022-23 and 3.587 MMT in 2023-24. The public and private sectors were involved in the imports, with the average cost being US$356/MT (CNF) and US$ 280/MT (CNF) respectively. The government is also considering creating zones for different crops to better manage water resources and implementing measures to reduce water use for crops, particularly sugarcane.

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain informed the Senate on Tuesday that Pakistan has imported 6.187 MMT of wheat over the last two years. In a written reply to a question from Senator Falk Naz, the federal minister said that 2.6 MMT of wheat was imported in 2022-23 and 3.587 MMT in 2023-24. Rana Tanveer Hussain explained that in 2022-23, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan had imported 2.60 MMT of wheat for PASSCO to maintain strategic reserves at an average cost of US$356/MT (CNF), while the carry-forward stock was reported at 1.84 MMT. He said that in 2023-24, both the public and private sectors were allowed to import wheat. The private sector had imported 3.587 MMT at an average cost of US$ 280/MT (CNF), and the carry-forward stocks reported by the provincial food departments stood at 1.63 MMT. During the Question-Hour session in the Senate, the minister mentioned that the government would consider the proposal to create zones for ...