Govt imposes ban on wheat import, flour export

ISLAMABAD: The federal government of Pakistan on Friday imposed a ban on import of wheat and export of flour following excessive import of wheat than country’s requirement, stated a notification issued by Ministry of Commerce.

The government has made amendments to the Import and Export Policy Orders 2022, imposing a ban on the import of wheat and export of flour.

Moreover, a ban has also been imposed on export of flour prepared from imported wheat, the notification added.

Earlier in March, the federal government had conditionally allowed the export of flour made from imported wheat under the Export Facilitation Scheme 2021.

On July 10, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the National Assembly that the government had made no decision for the export of wheat even as the State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Bill, 2024 was rushed through the legislature.

“No decision has been made for the export of wheat. I want to bring it on record before the House that there is no such decision for the wheat export,” he told the National Assembly responding to a point of order raised by a parliamentarian.

However, referring to the PTI government’s sugar and wheat scams, he recalled that it was also on record that in the past wheat and sugar were first exported and later imported and where the billions and trillions of rupees went was part of the history.

The amendment, which allows the government to remove board members of SOEs based on recommendations from the board nomination committee, had been passed by the Senate the previous week and will become law upon President Asif Ali Zardari’s assent.