PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafiullah Jan, along with Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Food Dr Muhammad Israr, said on Monday that there was no shortage of wheat or flour anywhere in the province and that the market situation remained fully under control.
Addressing a joint press conference, Shafiullah Jan said the province’s annual wheat requirement stood at 5.436 million metric tonnes, while local production in 2026 was recorded at 1.632 million metric tonnes, leaving an annual shortfall of 3.804 million metric tonnes. He said the deficit had traditionally been met through purchases from other provinces, particularly Punjab.
The minister said government food godowns currently held 153,933 metric tonnes of wheat, while estimated wheat and flour stocks in the private sector stood at 114,806 metric tonnes.Shafiullah Jan said the provincial cabinet had approved the purchase of 175,000 metric tonnes of wheat from PASSCO, of which 25,000 metric tonnes had already been received. “An agreement has been signed and an advance payment made for the remaining 150,000 metric tonnes,” he added.
He said the cabinet had also approved the procurement of 225,000 metric tonnes of wheat from local farmers at a support price of Rs3,500 per 40 kilograms.“Wheat and flour are available across the province, while supplies and prices are being monitored daily on the directives of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to prevent artificial price hikes,” he added.
Shafiullah Jan stated that the Punjab government had imposed unnecessary restrictions on the transportation of wheat and flour in violation of the spirit of Article 151 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of inter-provincial trade. He warned that such measures could disrupt supplies to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, increase market pressure, and lead to higher prices.
He said the provincial government had approached constitutional and parliamentary forums to ensure the uninterrupted supply of wheat and flour and had sent 15 letters to the federal and Punjab governments on the issue.
