Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the provincial food department to immediately start fumigation of the wheat storage facilities and start the procurement of the new wheat crop with a special focus on purchasing wheat from small growers who had received government seed subsidies.
He issued these directives on Monday while presiding over a joint meeting of the agriculture and food departments at the CM House.
The meeting was attended by Sindh Food Minister Makhdoom Mehboobuz Zaman, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Secretary to CM Asif Jameel Sheikh, Food Secretary Abbas Naich, Agriculture Director General Allah Waryo Rind, Food Director Allah Dino Channa and others.
The CM emphasised that the government’s priority was to support small farmers and ensure transparency in wheat procurement and stock management.
Zaman told the meeting that over 1.3 million tonnes of wheat stock was available until July 2025, most of which had already been released to the market, while a small stock of wheat was still remaining.
Taking notice of the remaining stock, the CM directed the food department to immediately dispose of the remaining wheat to stabilise the market and create storage space for the upcoming wheat procurement.
Murad also instructed officials to ensure fumigation and cleanliness of all wheat warehouses so that the grain was stored in safe and hygienic conditions.
Discussing procurement for the new wheat crop, the CM directed the food department to begin preparations immediately and ensure that the procurement process started without delay.
He also decided that wheat procurement should prioritise small growers, particularly those who had received seed subsidies from the Sindh government.
The CM was informed that the government had provided seed subsidies to around 1.3 million small farmers owning between one and 25 acres of land, and the agriculture department maintained a comprehensive database of those growers.
Murad directed that bardana (gunny bags) distribution be carried out strictly according to the verified farmers’ data, ensuring that small farmers received priority in the procurement process.
The CM also instructed the agriculture and food departments to jointly formulate a clear and transparent procurement policy to ensure fair distribution of bardana, smooth wheat procurement and efficient management of existing wheat stocks.
He emphasised that these measures would help protect the interests of small farmers, ensure market stability and strengthen the province’s food security system
