KARACHI: Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah on Monday directed authorities to continue intelligence-based operations against wheat hoarding and illegal storage after more than 154,419 metric tonnes of wheat were seized across the province.
The directive was issued during a high-level meeting to review wheat availability, flour prices and the progress of the province-wide anti-hoarding campaign. The meeting was attended by Chairman of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team Bilal Memon, Secretary Food Ghulam Abbas Naich, Additional Secretary (GA) Bilawal Abro and senior Food Department officials.
Officials said authorities had taken custody of 1,544,194 bags of wheat, equivalent to 154,419.40 metric tonnes, under the Sindh cabinet’s decision. The seized quantity is more than double the wheat procured by the provincial government during the current procurement season.
The chief secretary praised the coordinated efforts of district administrations, the Food Department and other agencies, saying the sustained crackdown had helped curb speculative trading, improve wheat availability and reduce flour prices across Sindh.
Officials informed the meeting that commissioners and deputy commissioners had held meetings with flour mill owners and other stakeholders to review wheat supplies and flour prices. As a result of administrative measures and consultations with the milling industry, flour prices declined in several parts of the province.
In Karachi, the ex-mill price of flour was reduced by Rs8 per kilogram, a move expected to lower retail prices. Retail flour prices were fixed at Rs118 per kg in Larkana, Rs125 in Hyderabad, Rs122 in Sukkur, Rs118 in Mirpurkhas and Rs122 in Shaheed Benazirabad.
“The reduction in flour prices is a direct result of the Sindh government’s timely intervention and firm action against hoarders and profiteers,” Asif Hyder Shah said. He said the provincial government would continue taking administrative and legal measures to prevent artificial shortages and unjustified increases in the prices of essential commodities.
The chief secretary said holding a trading licence did not entitle anyone to withhold wheat from the market, create artificial shortages or manipulate prices. He directed district administrations and the Food Department to continue intelligence-based operations against undeclared and illegally stored wheat without discrimination.
He also ordered regular inspections of warehouses, flour mills, chakkis, trading premises and other storage facilities to verify declared stocks and prevent artificial scarcity.
Additionally, Shah directed the Food Department to prepare a comprehensive taluka-wise database of wheat traders, flour mills and chakkis across the province. The database will include licensing status, storage capacity, available wheat stocks and the quantity of wheat being released or processed, with daily updates to support market monitoring and enforcement efforts.
