7.846m mt of wheat available

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Strategic wheat reserves of the country during the start week of the current month (September) were recorded at 7.846 million metric tons, which is enough to fulfill the local requirements and maintain stocks for keeping the demand and supply smooth in domestic markets.

The government had procured about 5.879 million metric tons of wheat during the crop procurement campaign for the year 2023-24, said Food Security Commissioner In the Ministry of National Food Security and Research Imtiaz Ali Gopang.

Talking to APP here on Monday, he said that grain procurement targets for the current season were fixed at 7.800 million tons as out of the total fixed targets about 75 per cent was accomplished, adding that Punjab completed 87 per cent of its procurement targets as it procured 3.921 million metric tons, Sindh 56 percent to procured 777,394 metric tons respectively.

Meanwhile, Balochistan had procured 50,000 metric tons, whereas Pakistan Agriculture Storage and Services Corporation had completed 63 percent of its assigned task as it procured 5.879 million tons of wheat, he added.

Food Security Commissioner informed that local carry-forward stocks of wheat in the country were recorded at 1.570 million metric tons, which further strengthened the local reserves of grains, adding under import of 2022, the government had also imported about 375,589 metric tons of wheat.

So far, the government has released 762,471 metric tons of wheat for grinding, adding that private sector procurements had recorded at 3.590 million tons, of which 2.656 metric tons had been grinded.

It is worth mentioning here that wheat production targets during 2022-23 were fixed at 28.37 million metric tons, whereas local grain output was estimated at 28.185 million metric tons. (APP)