Govt agencies imported expensive wheat from 2017 to 2022: AGP report

ISLAMABAD: Government agencies imported expensive wheat from 2017 to 2022, revealed an Auditor General of Pakistan report.

The report of the Auditor General of Pakistan has revealed that from 2017 to 2022 expensive wheat was imported by government agencies. The Auditor General’s annual report revealed that the private sector had imported cheap wheat as compared to the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Passco. Billions of rupees were lost to the national exchequer due to expensive import of wheat by government departments, TCP and Passco, it noted.

The report states that due to importation of expensive wheat by government agencies, the national exchequer lost 31.32 million dollars. According to the report, the Trading Corporation of Pakistan did not compare the prices of wheat in the international market. The TCP imported wheat at $274 and Passco at $282 per metric ton, while the private sector imported wheat at $250, $255 and $262 per metric ton. The prices of flour in Pakistan increased due to the import of expensive wheat, and the common consumer was exploited and had to buy expensive flour, it added.