ISLAMABAD: In the midst of soaring wheat and flour prices exacerbated by floods, hoarding, and supply chain breakdowns the federal government has unveiled a bold new National Wheat Policy. Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain insists this long-term strategy will ensure food security, fair pricing for farmers, price relief for vulnerable consumers, and resilience against climate and market shocks.
Yet the announcement has been met with deep skepticism. Pakistan’s recent history of policy failures, combined with the haunting legacy of the 2023–24 wheat import scandal, means many view this new plan as nothing more than another empty promise unless accountability and structural reform emerge.
Consumers are already burdened with rising prices. In Punjab, under the Pakistan Nanbai Association, roti, naan, paratha, and roghani naan all surged starting September 9. A sack of fine flour jumped from Rs6,200 to between Rs9,800 and Rs10,400. Surkh Patiri bread rose from Rs14 to Rs20, and naan and paratha prices climbed by Rs5 each. In Karachi, a five-kilo bag of flour now costs Rs700, up from Rs500 in August, despite the new harvest being in the market.
Market analysts point to hoarding and stock manipulation—rather than flood damage—as the true culprit, with traders suppressing supply to fuel further price hikes. Meanwhile, official claims of wheat reserves standing at 33.47 MMT against a requirement of 33.58 MMT—a shortfall of just 0.11 MMT are cold comfort to everyday consumers and critics alike.
All this unfolds against the backdrop of one of Pakistan’s most glaring recent economic scandals: the wheat import scandal of 2023–24.
The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) report, issued in July 2025, laid bare a Rs300 billion scandal. It confirmed that 3.59 million metric tonnes (MMT) of wheat were imported far beyond the approved quota of 2.40 MMT despite record-high local production of 31.47 MMT and substantial carry-over stocks of 4.64 MMT. The AGP cited “malafide intent,” manipulated data, false demand estimates, and delays in public procurement to artificially benefit private importers. Punjab and Sindh released drastically reduced wheat amounts in mid-2023 just 5,657 tonnes between June and October, compared to over two million tonnes the previous year—creating a panic-driven shortage.
The AGP blasted the delay in public sector imports and noted that strategic reserves were misrepresented, stored not by the state but by private entities, with even Afghanistan’s wheat demand included in domestic estimates to inflate demand.
Earlier, during the scandal’s eruption, caretaker and interim investigations had begun—but failed to deliver transparency or accountability. A fact-finding committee was formed, but its findings remained conveniently buried. The media sharply criticized this reluctance, urging the government to broaden probes and refer the matter to anti-corruption agencies like NAB or FIA.
Farmers bore the brunt: wheat imports flooded the market, driving prices down at harvest time and forcing many to sell at a significant loss even as they grappled with costs of inputs and diminished profits.
Now, as the government heralds its new wheat policy with rhetoric around fair pricing, fortification, and modern storage the public remains unconvinced. Without accountability for the past, structural reforms, and corrective mechanisms to curb hoarding and corruption, this policy risks becoming yet another headline—and another failure.
