PM Shehbaz orders wheat supply to KP via PASSCO

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Ministry of National Food Security to ensure the supply of wheat to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) through the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO).

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi thanked PM Shehbaz for approving the supply of 200,000 metric tons of wheat through PASSCO.

“The province requires around 3.6 million metric tons of wheat,” Governor Kundi said, adding that the transportation of the remaining wheat from Punjab is still facing hurdles.

He alleged that wheat and flour supplies are being blocked at nine checkpoints along the Punjab-KP border. “Under the Constitution and the new wheat policy, the free movement of wheat and flour is our right,” he stated.

The governor urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take notice of the situation at the checkpoints and ensure the uninterrupted transportation of wheat and flour to the province.

“The supply of the remaining wheat and flour required by the province must also be ensured,” he said, stressing that the people of KP should not be deprived of access to affordable wheat and flour.

Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain said the decision was aimed at protecting the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the impact of inflation. He added that instructions had been issued to ensure the immediate and effective supply of wheat through PASSCO.

No Wheat Shortage in Country, Adequate Reserves Available: Minister