The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet in its meeting held on December 22, 2017 had allowed export of two million tons of wheat and wheat products. The ECC in its meeting held on November 20, 2018 had approved 500,000 tons of wheat exports only a month after the same quantity was exported to shed the surplus stocks. The ECC in its meeting held on June 22, 2020 gave a go-ahead to the private sector to import 2.5 million tons of wheat to control prices in the domestic market.
It can be observed from the above that Pakistan has become a wheat importing country instead of an exporting one.
There are challenges including climate change, pest attack and shortage of water that have kept agricultural production far less than the potential. The farmers have no direct access to markets, due to which they are being exploited by middlemen and they do not get fair prices for their produce resulting in discouraging them to produce more. Because of not getting a fair price, their cost of production also increases.
Khan Faraz
Peshawar