Who is responsible for wheat crisis?

ISLAMABAD: Who in the government is responsible for the wheat crisis though all those matter in the regime know that an important personality’s role in policy decisions of Food Security and Agriculture has been vital so far during the present tenure of the PTI government?

It is an open knowledge that the influential personality, who was an MNA before the Supreme Court disqualified him for life from holding any public office and he also financially helps ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and is considered its soul, has an important say in the PTI government’s governance and political matters in general and on the subject of agriculture in particular.

It is open knowledge that he controls Ministry of Food Security in Islamabad and Agriculture and Food Departments in Punjab as he has also an important say in Punjab affairs.

Although formally neither he holds a public office nor has any portfolio of any political party, he made history by attending cabinet meeting in 2018. The government had faced criticism on this but it had announced that he was invited to brief the cabinet on the subject of agriculture.

He has also been chairing or attending numerous official meetings on agriculture, which were also reported by the media. The media has also been covering his meetings convened exclusively on the issue of wheat.

In March last year, it was reported by the media, Pakistan was making efforts to open up a potential two million ton wheat export market in Afghanistan and had begun taking special measures based on demands of exporters.

The move comes after the PTI leader met Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, senior Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials and representatives of security forces, an English daily reported, adding, “In the first phase, the duration for which goods trucks will be allowed to pass through the Torkham border has been increased to 10 hours and plans are afoot to open the border 24 hours a day for exports by August this (2019) year.”

It was also reported that the government had handed over the task of resolution of agricultural issues and adopting measures for agricultural development to this influential personality whose help is sought when the PTI is in any political crisis. In the past few days, he has held high-level meetings with wheat exporters in Punjab, Sindh and KP in which various suggestions to increase Pakistan’s share in the 2-million-ton Afghan wheat market were considered, the report said.

When contacted by the newspaper for the same report, the leader was quoted as saying that he had examined the suggestions in his meeting with KP’s political leadership and security services, after which in the first phase, the duration for goods carriers passing through the Torkham border had been extended from eight hours to ten hours.

“On the demand of Sindh exporters, lab tests of wheat from various Punjab districts have started so that the percentage of protein and gluten can be determined. After this, we will select the districts producing high protein and gluten wheat and will reserve them for export purposes,” he was quoted as adding.

He had said there was a huge wheat market in Afghanistan, which would not only be a source of foreign exchange, but would also benefit Pakistan farmers with higher prices and domestic flour mills due to increased wheat crushing activity.

In May-June 2019, Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) had approached the government, seeking an immediate ban on the export of wheat. However, according to media reports, the government dismissed the proposal keeping in view the available wheat stocks in the country.

Later in July 2019, the government finally decided to impose ban on export of wheat and wheat flour amid rising concern over the price hike trend of roti and other wheat production.

But in Oct 2019, the media reported, “Pakistan resumed partial export of wheat flour related items to Afghanistan via Torkham border after about two months.” It added that the federal government had banned export of wheat flour and related commodities to Afghanistan since July 30 due to rising domestic demand. “The export quota of wheat flour had also exhausted by the end of July and thus its export was stopped,” the newspaper reported.

The report said that federal government had finally agreed to lift the ban on semolina (suji), refined flour used in bakery items and fine atta (flour) on September 24 (2019) after prolonged negotiations with the exporters. However, ban on regular wheat flour was intact.

Meanwhile, the smuggling of wheat flour through unfrequented routes to Afghanistan had picked up momentum during the nearly two-month ban.

After the recent surge in flour prices across Pakistan, the government was reported to have again assigned the same leader along with federal minister for food security to overcome the crisis.

Interesting a few days back, before the ECC met to find solution to the crisis, it was he (the influential personality) who told the media that the federal government had decided in principle to import up to 0.4 million tons of duty-free wheat to avert the flour crisis in the country.

Talking to mediapersons at MQM-P's Headquarters in Karachi on last Saturday, he said, “Formal approval for import of 0.3-0.4 million tons of wheat will be given in the next Economic Coordination Committee meeting to be held on Monday.” He said that the import will be allowed till the arrival of new crop in March.